Breaking the Habit
by CryInSorrow
Summary: Dick thinks Jason can be saved. Jason doesn't think he needs to be. Everyone else sees something those two don't, pasts come back to haunt those who've tried to forget them, and as usual, Jason gets himself into some rather deep trouble with some rather dangerous people.
1. Chapter 1

_Dick cried. He sat in front of Jason's headstone and he just...sobbed. Jason had died, and he hadn't been there! Why wasn't he here?! Why didn't he...he could've done something, could've saved him! And Bruce...! He and Bruce had had a huge argument weeks before; the man hadn't even bothered to tell him that Jason was dead before they buried him! When he found it, his heart shattered into a million pieces. Kori had been there to comfort him, holding him while he cried._

 _But here he was now, sitting in front of the teen's grave, sobbing. Guilt overtook him because he wasn't even at his damn funeral. Jason, his little brother, was dead. He was gone and Dick hadn't even been here...It took months for Dick to cope with the loss, having pushed everyone away, leaving Bludhaven and moving to New York City, and now here was again, back in Bludhaven._

 _Dick had found that the shadows of his past were not easy to escape from. Even ones long thought dead._

-o-o-O-o-o-

Nightwing swung through the air on his grappling hook, spinning through the air with acrobatic grace. One might almost think he were actually flying. Dick landed on the roof and raced across the rooftop, his parkour better than ever as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop without missing a beet. It had been a year or so since he'd been back to Bludhaven; there were old memories here, bad memories, dark ones even that he would have rather forgotten. He tried starting a new life in New York City, but Gotham called him home again, where he stayed for a time before coming back to confront his darkness personally.

He was back and stronger and better than ever before. More importantly, he was here to stay. It was thanks to Bruce that he found the strength to come back. _"Why do we fall?"_ he had asked him. _"So we can learn to pick ourselves back up."_ After a long discussion and a heart-to-heart, the two of them put their grievances aside and Bruce helped Dick to move past what had happened in Bludhaven. Dick made the decision to return, because Bludhaven was his city.

Dick laughed as he did a quadruple flip through the air and landed on another rooftop, his patrol nearing its end. Gotham had turned out to be Bludhaven Lite; for all the crime and corruption in Gotham, Bludhaevn was worse, but it had been doing better since Nightwing had returned. Unfortunately, it couldn't stay that way for just one night. Dick heard a scream and skidded to a stop looking in the direction from which it came. There he saw The Red Hood, dangling a criminal over the edge of a building by the collar of the man's jacket.

"I don't know who this guy is, I swear! They just pay me to keep people quiet!" the man begged, glancing down at the ground, three stories below. Jason laughed darkly and pretended to lose his grip for a moment.

"Bullshit. You go back and forth between Gotham and Bludhaven on this guy's orders and you don't ask any questions? Yeah right. Enjoy the trip," Jason said darkly, dropping the man off the edge of the building. The man screamed as he fell and closed his eyes, but Dick intervened, swinging in and saving the day. He grabbed the man before he hit the ground, the man thanking him over and over.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Dick muttered, cuffing him to a dumpster in the alleyway. He fired a line to the roof above and found himself face-to-face (so to speak) with Jason.

"Still running around playing gangbanger, huh Jason?" Dick asked, unimpressed. Jason snorted, his face hidden behind his blood red mask.

"Still playing the part of Bruce's Golden Boy, huh Dickie?" Jason asked with a derisive snort.

"What're you doing here?" Dick demanded to know. Jason backed up a bit and gave a shrug.

"Oh, y'know. Just enjoying that sweet Bludhaven air. Gotham's has gotten a bit stale. Needed a change of scenery," Jason said smoothly, looking around at the city itself. "Not much of a change though."

"Jason-" Dick began, taking a threatening step forward.

"Hey, I'm not here for a fight, Dickie-bird. I'm here to put an end to a drug ring running out of here," Jason began, pointing back toward the direction of Gotham City "to Gotham."

"By carving a bloody scar through Bludhaven? Yeah I don't think so," Dick said flatly, attacking Jason.

Both Nightwing and Red Hood soon found themselves grappling on the roof tops, exchanging blows back and forth. A light rain fell down on them, a sprinkle really, as they fought. Dick flipped backward, avoiding a fist from Jason. Jason pursued him, and Dick ducked a blow, allowing himself to fall backward, catching himself on his hands and kicking toward Jason. Jason grunted at the kick to his stomach which sent him tumbling backward across the roof. Jason's helmet lay on the roof across the way, having discarded it specifically for the fight. Jason flopped back onto his feet and lunged in for another attack, ducking and sliding across the ground as a wingding flew over head. Dick brought an escrima stick down on his head, but Jason blocked it with his arm.

The stick collided with a gauntlet hidden underneath the sleeve of the man's black leather jacket, and Jason retaliated with an uppercut to the man's jaw. Jarred, Dick stumbled back a bit before recovering, performing a few back flips to gain some distance. Dick had the advantage in wide, open spaces. With plenty of room to move and maneuver, he could out pace Jason. But in close quarters, Jason would have the advantage. He was more ground-and-pound like Bruce, a brutal fighting style based on speed and brutality. But unlike Bruce, Jason was more agile, faster, more flexible, using everything to his advantage.

As Dick landed on his feet, Jason was already on him, fists swinging. Dick barely had time to counter the aggressive assault, defending and deflecting blows. Jason had him on the defense, raining a flurry of furious blows down on him, a few finding purchase on the acrobat. Jason threw another punch and Dick, finally seeing an opening, danced around it, deflecting the blow. Jason stumbled away, his momentum taking him away. He spun around to see Dick coming at him. Dick swung an escrima stick as Jason and scored a blow to his ribs. Jason stepped back, grunting in pain and clutching at his side, he grinned at Dick and laughed.

"Not pulling your punches I hope, Dickie-bird?" Jason asked with a chuckle of amusement as he pushed himself up to his full height. Dick stood up right, letting his arms drop by his sides, still glaring at Jason. A silence settled between the two of them as they stared each other down. Jason broke the silence with a laugh, cracking his knuckles. "I told you, Goldie, I didn't come here for a fight. I came here to put a stop to a drug ring."

"And I told you; Bludhaven is off-limits. You're killing people, Jason! I can't just ignore that!" Dick retorted, arm slashing through the air angrily. Jason, still grinning, crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, turns our putting bullet in a scum bag's head keeps them from committing more crimes," Jason replied haughtily. Dick growled and shook his head. He figured he was making a mistake, dropping his guard a little, his expression softening.

"Jaybird-" Dick began. Jason growled and stomped forward a bit, glaring at Dick.

"Don't call me that!" Jason snapped. But Dick ignored him and continued. He wanted to believe that his Little Wing was still in there somewhere, that Jason _was not_ beyond saving. He missed that happy, carefree, goofy teenager he used to train with, hang out with, talk with.

"We were trained and taught never to kill. Because it's easy and that's why the criminals use it," Dick said softly, taking a few steps toward the man. "Can't you see you're becoming just like them?"  
Jason snorted, still staring him down. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Your way doesn't work. Mine does. I get results," Jason replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Dick sighed, shaking his head. After everything that had happened, a reasonable person would give up, but not Dick. He couldn't and he wouldn't. _Just because people stumble and lose their way, doesn't mean they're lost forever. Sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of kindness, and a little bit of hope. Sometimes, they just need someone to reach them_ Clark had once told him back when he was Robin. Bruce had trained and taught him that same lesson, albeit without the words, but through his actions. That stuck with Dick and he believed in it.

"Jason-'

"No Dick, enough. Either get out of my way, or I'll put you down," Jason said with a dark glare and an aggressive stance. Dick noted that Jason hadn't yet drawn his guns or his daggers this whole fight. He was holding back; that was a good sign. But how could he reach Jason? How could he bridge the gap between them and make him understand? Dick had a thought; it was small, but it was also a start.

"Let me help you," Dick offered. Jason flinched at the offer, taking a step back in surprise.

"What?" he asked, confused. Dick smiled and took a step toward him.

"Let me help you. Bludhaven is my city. If there's a drug ring here, then I want it broken up as much as you do," Dick answered smoothly. Jason eyed him suspiciously through the white lenses of his domino and took a few steps toward Dick, closing the space a little.

"Why? You obviously have a problem with my methods, so why do you want to help?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow as he eyed the other male suspiciously. Dick gave a nod, waving an escrima stick as he spoke.

"You're right, I don't. But if I help you, I can keep you from killing," Dick replied, to which Jason snorted.

"You can try. Do you even know what these scum bags have done?" Jason asked, a hint of venom in his tone. Dick watched him warily, then crossed his arms and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, you-"

"No it does, Dick! These drugs that they're peddling? They're dealing to children. And that's not the worst of it; the drug gives them a feeling of euphoria, but withdrawal causes them to have a psychotic break," Jason ground out, clenching his fists at his side.

"I've seen kids, kids Dick, committing suicide. When I find them, they're dead."

Dick frowned at the description of the drug. To say it sounded bad, would have been a horrible understatement. But killing was certainly no better. He had to try and help Jason and keep the causalities to a minimum.

"I get it Jason, I do, but no killing. If you're going to operate in my city, you follow my rules," Dick said firmly. "Please." _Please? As if that'd work..._ Jason was silent as if considering Dick's offer. Dick hoped he would accept because it'd be nice to work side by side once more, like old times instead of fighting and arguing with each other all the time. Finally, Jason approached and held his hand out toward Dick.

"We'll see, won't we?" Jason asked. Dick smiled and shook his hand.

"Good," Dick said, eyes drawn to Jason's chest. There he saw a red bat symbol, which was curious considering his...well, hate seemed strong... _dislike_ of Bruce. Dick gently moved the jacket out of the way a little to get a better look and arched an eyebrow at Jason. "What's this about?" he asked curiously. Jason looked down, eyeing the bat symbol on his chest and snorted.

"Why the hell not? The man trained me, may as well borrow his symbol. Plus, it'd probably piss him off to see me wearing it, so that's a bonus," Jason replied with a smug grin. Dick smirked; he could tell Jason was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth, but he let it go.

"Alright, fine. Any intel on where their distribution center is?" Dick asked. Jason's grin widened as he moved toward the edge of the building, looking back at Dick over his shoulder.

"As a matter of fact, yeah. What, you honestly didn't think I'd just come charging blindly into Bludhaven without knowing where I was going, did you?" Jason asked with a snort. Dick waited patiently for Jason to share the intel, but when the man remained silent, he grew a little impatient.

"Well?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Jason gave a shrug.

"Pause for dramatic effect," he answered and Dick rolled his eyes, chuckling in amusement. Jason turned around toward Dick again and nodded behind him. "I busted their asses in Gotham as they were getting their operation off the floor. We're lucky; they've only got one drug distribution center set up here in Bludhaven so far."

"So we take it out now and put it down before it can grow?" Dick replied. Jason gave a nod.

"Haven't lost your touch, I see. So, what're we waiting for? Follow the leader," Jason called with a grin, diving off the edge of the building. Dick laughed lightly to himself before following suit.

-o-o-O-o-o-

They'd found the warehouse near the center of the city, guarded by only a few thugs as far as they could tell. They were perched on a rooftop across from the warehouse, scoping the place out. Jason had just returned from doing a little recon on the place. He had his helmet back on and Dick had activated the magnification sight in his mask. Other than a couple of perimeter guards, the place looked completely innocuous. But they both knew looks could be deceiving.

"Two guards at the front door. Nobody on the roof. If we're quiet, we can sneak in through there," Dick said softly, turning his attention to Jason. Jason glanced over at Dick and gave a nod, reaching for a grappling gun and firing it to the roof across the way. Dick followed after him and together, the two of them snuck inside the building.

So far so good; it seemed security was light. These guys had to be amateurs at best. The two of them dropped silently down onto the catwalks and looked down on the thugs below. They were loading crates of drugs onto trucks with only a handful of armed guards overseeing the loading process. A pudgy man came out a few minutes later barking orders to the men.

"Get those damn trucks loaded! We're behind schedule because I hired a bunch of jackasses!" the moan shouted angrily, storming back into his office. Dick exchanged a look with Jason and the two simply nodded at each other.

Dick pulled a small smoke bombs out of a hidden compartment on his gauntlet and dropped it on the thugs below. The men stopped their work to when the small pellets started dropping onto the floor. A smokescreen began billowing out of the pellets and filling the room. Dick and Jason jumped down and took down the thugs, one by one with ease.

"Huh. That was less fun than I was hoping for. I prefer a straight up fight myself. Gets the blood pumping," Jason said smoothly, clapping his hands together.

"You might just get your wish," Dick answered, drawing his escrima sticks and nodded toward the armed thugs headed their way. Jason grinned and drew his hand guns, earning a look from Dick. Jason rolled his eyes and holstered them.

"Fine. Buzzkill," he muttered, ducking a punch and delivering an uppercut to his jaw. One blow and the guy was out. "Wow, we got a lightweight over here," Jason said amusedly, as he deflected a baseball bat aimed at his head. Dick flipped over one's head, the other behind him aiming an automatic rifle. Dick drew a few wingdings and knocked the gun out of his hand, throwing an escrima stick at the other's head. The man yelped as it struck his head and knocked him to the ground. The thug with the gun tried to slam Dick in the back of the neck with the butt of the gun, but Dick side stepped, avoiding the attack. He put his leg out in front of the guy and tripped him.

"Have a nice fall," he said with a laugh. Jason flipped to avoid an attack, landing on his hands and trapping the man's head between his feet. Before the man could react, Jason grunted and flipped, slamming the man to the ground and knocking him out cold.

"Some drug dealers these guys turned out to be," Jason muttered, earning a laugh from Dick. He retrieved his escrima stick and pointed toward thew office.

"Come on Hood, that must be where he's hiding," Dick said, the two of them making for the office. Jason kicked open the door to find the pudgy Drug Dealer packing money into a duffel bag frantically. When the door was kicked off its hinges, he turned around and gasped, pulling out a gun. Dick threw a wingding and knocked it out of his hands. The man attempted to flee, which Jason chose to answer by shooting him in the leg.

"Hood!" Dick scolded as the Jason moved across the room toward the drug dealer. The man dragged himself toward the exit, whimpering in fear. Jason hauled him up onto his feet and broke his arm, peeling a scream of pain out of the man.

"No, please, don't kill me!"

"Do you know who I am?" Jason growled.

"Y-Yeah, the Red Hood! Y-you got a rep in the Underworld!"

"Hood, that's enough. It's over!" Dick shouted. Jason glanced over his shoulder and slammed the drug lord into the desk, forcing him face down against the cold metal of the desk.

"Good, I'm glad we can skip the introductions. Now tell me whose in charge of this operation," Jason demanded to know. He twisted the other man's arm a bit when he didn't answer. "You enjoy fucking up kids. I enjoy fucking up scum bags. Talk. Now," Jason growled. Dick watched, gritting his teeth. This was too much, and yet...

"Okay, okay! I'll talk! I-it's Black Mask!" the man replied. Jason let out a loud, annoyed sigh.

"Really? That guy again? He's like a fuckin' cockroach, I swear to god," Jason growled, looking up at Dick. "What'd I tell you? Shoulda killed him years ago. Instead he waltzes out of Gotham's revolving door prison-"

"Not now," Dick answered curtly.

"Can I go now?" the man asked nervously. Jason let out a bark of laughter.

"Sure."

"Really?"

"No," Jason said flatly, pointing a gun to the man's head.

"Hood, no!" Dick gasped, taking a threatening step forward. Jason looked up at Dick, then back at the pudgy drug dealer, pleading for his life. Then he looked back to Dick and raised his hands defensively, holstering the gun.

"Fine, fine. He's probably about as dangerous as a frilly pink dress anyway," Jason said with a derisive snort as Dick cuffed him and contacted the BPD. As the two men exited the building, Dick smiled and elbowed Jason playfully.

"Thanks Jaybird." Jason snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't get used to it." The two of them walked in silence for a bit, Dick contemplating everything that had happened tonight. He turned to Jason then and smiled. "Say Jason. Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

"It's fine Dick. Gotham's only thirty minutes away."

"It's three in the morning," Dick countered. Jason took off his helmet and frowned at him.

"Dick. We just fought not an hour ago."

"And?"

"I tried to kill you."

"And?"

"Twice."

"And?"

"And? What is wrong with you?!"

"You're family. I care about you," Dick answered easily. Jason snorted and turned to leave, but Dick stopped him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Believe it or not, I do care. We all do. You're still family." Jason snorted derisively but otherwise made no comment. Glancing over at Dick, he heaved a sigh and shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright Goldie. I suppose I could use a place to crash. Kinda wiped. Half hour drive does not sound appealing," Jason mused. Dick chuckled in amusement and led the man back to his apartment. The climbed in through the window, finding themselves in Dick's living room. When Dick returned he found that his old apartment building had been rebuilt after Blockbuster blew it up. Instead, he chose to rent an apartment on the other side of Bludhaven. It was a spacious apartment with one large room divided into a kitchen and a living room, with a bathroom off to the side and one bedroom. As always though, Dick's apartment was a mess. He was certainly not known for his proper cleaning habits.

"Still a slob like always I see," Jason muttered, closing the window behind him and taking off his helmet. He put it on the coffee table as Dick went into the bedroom, stripping off his gear and stashing it into the closet. He changed into a pair of blue dorm pants and a white tank top and padded out to the living room with a spare blanket and pillow, tossing them onto the couch.

"Make yourself at home, Jaybird," Dick said smoothly, watching as the man kicked off his boots and stripped off his jacket, hanging it on a wall peg.

"What? Not gonna offer me the bed?" Jason asked in mock offense. Dick snorted in amusement, a smile spreading across his face. He waved his hand dismissively.

"I could, but then you'd argue about it being my place, and I'd argue about you being a guest, and well, I'm just too tired."

"You know me better than I thought," Jason replied with a grin.

"So do you-"

"No."

"Good night then," Dick replied with a laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

Dick groaned as lanced of light pierced his window, illuminating his dark room. He rolled over onto his back, scrubbing his face with his hands before finally pushing himself up. He sat in bed for a few moments, his hair as messy as his bed, giving himself a few moments to wake. He let out a yawn, stretching his limbs before he finally pulled himself out of bed. He quickly fixed his hair, combing it into place with his hand before padding out of his bedroom.

He stopped and glanced over at the couch, and as expected, Jason was gone. What was more was that the blanket and pillow were neatly folded on the end of his couch with a note on the coffee table. He looked around the room and found it nice and clean, clothes in the hamper and dishes in the sink. He smirked to himself and picked up the note and read it.

 _Thanks for letting me crash. Cleaned the place up a bit as a thanks. That and because your house keeping skills are a disgrace. Don't get used to it Goldie._

 _Jaybird_

Dick chuckled to himself in amusement, carding a hand through his hair as he placed the note back down onto the table. With another tired yawn, he went into the kitchen, finding the dishes washed and in the rack drying. He grabbed a bowl and fished a box of cereal out of the cupboard and milk out of the fridge. He poured himself a bowl of cereal, grabbed a spoon and sat at the kitchen table, ready to eat and begin the day when his phone went off. Dick padded into the living room and grabbed it up, answering a call from Bruce.

"Bruce. What's up?" Dick asked, moving slowly back into the kitchen.

"Dick, when you have time today, drop by the manor. We have to talk," was all Bruce said before he hung up. Dick frowned at his phone and pocketed before sitting back down at the table. He didn't know what Bruce wanted to talk about that needed to be done in person. Regardless, he was going to take his time; last night had been a long, and interesting, night.

-o-o-O-o-o-

Jason parked his bike down in the alley beside his apartment building, down in The Bowery of Gotham City. He dig through his pocket for his key and opened the door, stepping inside. It was an abandoned warehouse apartment before he and Roy bought it together during their Outlaw days. They'd fixed it up and turned it into a respectable apartment. Just beyond the front door, the place opened up into one large room with both a living room and kitchen in it, with the bathroom off to one side. Up above was a small floor that made up the bedroom. Jason kicked his boots off and hung his black leather jacket on a coat peg. He hefted a black duffel bag over his shoulder which carried his Red Hood gear, and made his way inside.

He could hear the TV which made him frown, but not for long. A little girl with black hair and green eyes came bounding off of the couch and pouncing on Jason, wrapping her little arms around his legs.

"Uncle Jay!" the little girl chortled. Jason grinned from ear-to-ear and picked the little girl up into his arms.

"Lian, hey princess! What're you watching?" he asked, kissing her forehead and padding into the living room.

"'M watchin' Bugs Bunny! Come, come!" Lian chortled again as Jason set her down. She grabbed his fingers and dragged him into the living room with her. Roy came out of the bathroom a moment later, wearing naught but a pair of jeans, his short red hair still damp and a towel slung around his shoulders.

"Hey Jaybird! Where were you last night?" Roy asked, drying his hair a little more before balling the towel up and tossing it into the hamper. Jason chuckled a bit as he followed Lian into the living room, watching her climb up onto the couch and patting the seat beside her. He sat dutifully beside her and turned to Roy.

"Bludhaven. Working a case. What're you doing here?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow. Roy gave a grin and a shrug, flopping down into an armchair and making himself comfortable. He pulled his key out of his pocket and dangled it in front of Jason.

"Visiting. It's been a while since we last saw you, Jaybird. Since Lian was two. She's 3-" Roy began.

"And a half!" Lian interrupted, correcting her father. Roy and Jason both chuckled in amusement at the little girl.

"Three and a half now. That's not a problem is it?" he asked. Jason snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"God no. I'd've come to see you myself, but I've had my hands tied with Gotham. Plus, Star city is literally on the other side of the country," Jason pointed out with an arched brow. Roy chuckled and nodded as Jason spoke. "It's good to see you two doing well. Especially my princess," Jason said, ruffling Lian's hair. The little girl laughed and stuck her tongue out at him.

"We let ourselves in. We were hoping to surprise you when you got back from patrol," Roy added with a smirk. Jason gave a shrug.

"Patrol took an interesting turn. Black Mask again." Jason replied. Roy whistled and rake a hand through his red hair.

"Again, huh? That guy's like a cockroach," Roy said with a laugh and Jason simply nodded.

"That's what I told Dick," Jason replied. Roy cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward a bit, elbows resting on his legs as he looked at Jason.

"Dick, huh? How is he?" Jason glanced over at Roy and gave a shrug.

"Fine. Still as obnoxious and self-righteous as ever," Jason replied with a derisive snort. When he next looked at Roy, the man had that look on his face. A look Jason recognized but wished he hadn't. "Okay yes, I spent the night at Dick's place and no, nothing happened because I don't like Dick that way, for the umpteenth fu-" he paused, glancing over at Lian who was too into her show, then back to Roy "-friggin time. Why are you so interested in setting me up with him anyway?" Roy snorted at him and shook his head.

"Uh, because you had a huge schoolboy crush on him? And because you still do," Roy replied. Jason let out a bark of laughter and shook his head. He turned to Roy and pointed at him, fixing him with a glare.

"Okay, first, I was a moody, hormonal teenager. Second, _had. Had_ a schoolboy crush on him. And third, I outgrew it. You've been talking to Babs too much. That girl reads too much into everything," Jason said to him, pushing himself up and padding into the kitchen. "Hey cupcake, you want pancakes?" Jason called, reaching up into the cabinet for the pancake mix.

"Yes please!" Lian called back.

"Oh, make some for me too, Jaybird! I love your pancakes!" Roy exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. Jason laughed as he started mixing the pancakes, glancing over at Roy.

"You're like a great big kid," Jason answered. Roy laughed and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"Lucky for you!"

"Hey!"

Lian started laughing at their interaction, looking back and forth between "Uncle Jay" and Roy. Roy mock frowned at the little girl.

"Hey you, what's so funny?"

"You and Uncle Jay," she said between giggles. Roy smiled and started tickling the little girl.

"Oh yeah? How about I give you something to laugh about!" he said as Lian let out a shrieking laughter and tried to escape from her father's ticklish fingers. When she finally squirmed away, Roy moved back into his arm chair and heaved a contented sigh.

"So, Jaybird. How's the nightlife? And The Family?" Roy asked casually. Jason glared at him, but Roy just gave a shrug. "Relax Jay, Lian knows. Nothing specific of course, but she knows to keep it a secret. Hey baby girl. Who else is daddy and Uncle Jay?" Roy asked. Lian looked at her father and smiled from ear to ear.

"Daddy and Uncle Jay beat up the bad guys. But ssssh, don't tell anyone!" Roy and Jason exchanged a look, the two of them sharing a laugh.

"Nightlife's fine, and the family? Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a 'family'," Jason replied.

"Care to elaborate?" Roy asked, arching an auburn brow. Jason snorted.

"Dialed the violence back a bit, if that's what you're asking. Still not sorry for putting down murderers, child abusers and rapists," Jason said, flipping a pancake "but Bruce is still a self-righteous asshole. Don't particularly care for the others. Alfred's the only one who seems to want me around," Jason went on.

"What about Dick?" Roy asked carefully. Jason snorted and rolled his eyes, choosing not to answer. He waved them over to the kitchen table. Roy and Lian both made their way over, Lian climbing into a chair and immediately munching into her small pancake.

"Mmm, chocolate chip! Thanks Uncle Jay!" she chortled as Roy sat down between the two. Jason smiled at her fondly.

"Anything for you, cupcake."

"You spoil her rotten."

"And that's a problem?" Jason asked amusedly. Roy just grinned at him. "So how long are you guys going to be in Gotham?" Jason asked casually. He glanced up at Roy as he took a sip of his coffee. Roy swallowed a bite of pancake then gave a shrug.

"Probably just the end of the day. We're meeting up with Auntie Dinah and Uncle Ollie later and take a plane back to Star City with them, right Speedy?" Roy asked, looking over at Lian. Lian giggled playfully.

"Uncle Ollie! Auntie D! Plane! Woosh!" Lian chortled. Jason chuckled in amusement, patting the little girl's head.

"Sure you can't stay longer, Roy? I've missed you, y'know," Jason admitted. Roy was one of the few people he felt he could be open and honest with. Though the man was also testing his 'toys' out on him or getting them both into trouble and doing stupid shit, Roy was his best friend, the person he trusted most in the world. Nothing was off limits, and neither of them had secrets from each other, either. Roy was _impossible_ to stay mad at for long.

Roy sighed and shook hie head.

"I'm afraid not Jaybird. I wish I could, I missed you too, but duty calls, y'know," Roy replied, pushing his plate away. Jason smirked and gave a nod.

"Yeah."

"But hey, I'm sure I can drag my ass back next month and we'll hang out like old times, right? Get drunk, screw around, bust some heads-"

"Do stupid shit and get into trouble," Jason interrupted, earning a laugh from Roy. Lian huffed and pointed at him.

"Bad word Uncle Jay! Don't say it again!"

-o-o-O-o-o-

Dick drove to the manor with the radio going and his mind wandering. Jason had become much less aggressive over the past couple of years, but last night was the first time in a long time that they felt like brothers again. Sure, Jason was angry, violent, and still killing people but it seemed like he was...different now. He'd known Tim and Jason were on neutral ground with each other, and Jason was visiting Alfred when Bruce wasn't around but he and Bruce were still butting heads. The last time Bruce found Jason at the manor, they fought, like physically fought.

Dick didn't have all the details, save that Jason found out that Bruce had a file on him on the Batcomputer, and he wanted it. Jason had been pissed about it, but Bruce attacked him when he found him in the cave. Dick knew about the file, had read it himself even, and it was both revealing and heartbreaking. Jason hadn't just stolen to survive and support his mother before she died; he'd been forced into much seedier work just to scrape by.

It was sad, really, but it almost seemed as if Bruce had given up on Jason. He knew it wasn't true, because Bruce could've turned him in by now but he hadn't. He suspected Bruce just didn't trust him, which he understood, but he wasn't even really trying to reach out to Jason anymore.

Dick turned when the manor came into view, pulling up into the long drive way and hopping out of his car. Dick made his way to the door, but as always, Alfred answered before he even got the chance to knock or ring the bell.

"Hey, good morning Alfred," Dick said cheerily, hugging the old butler. Alfred returned the hug, then gestured for Dick to enter the manor.

"Good morning Master Richard. Master Bruce is awaiting you down in the cave," Alfred said evenly. Dick gave a nod as he patted the man's shoulder and made his way for the old grandfather clock. He took the elevator down to the cave and there he found Tim and Damian sparring in their uniforms. Tim and Damian traded blows back and forth across the training mat, but their match came to an end when Dick came down the stairs.

"Dick, hey," Tim greeted with a smile and a hand wave.

"Grayson," Damian said curtly. Dick smiled at the two of them and hugged each of them; hugs were a signature of Dick Grayson, and if you spent enough time around him, you learned to get used to them.

"Tim, Damian. Good to see you both!" Dick said cheerily, patting Damian's shoulder.

"Tt, you can stop now, Grayson. Father wants to talk to you," Damian said flatly. Dick just flashed him a smile and turned to Tim.

"Tim, how're the Titans?" he asked. Tim gave a shrug.

"Doing well. I've taken some time off to come home for a little bit."

"Aw, did you miss me?" Dick asked with a teasing tone. Tim smirked a little and gave a nod.

"Kinda, yeah." Dick chuckled and wrapped an arm around Tim's shoulders and headed for the computer. Damian ducked Dick's other arm and instead, followed behind the two of them.

"Any idea what Bruce wants?" Dick asked, glanced back between the two of them. Tim gave a shrug, and Damian just snorted

"You probably did something stupid. Not unusual," Damian said flatly. Dick chuckled in amusement and patted Damian's head, much to the younger's annoyance; he knew it was Damian's way of Joking with him. Or was it? Sometimes it was hard to tell.

"Bruce, what's going on?" Dick asked Bruce, who was sitting at the Batcomputer. Bruce turned in his chair, glancing back and forth between Tim and Damian.

"Excuse us. This is between Dick and I," he said simply. Tim and Damian exchanged a glance before retreating from the computer, Tim to change into civilian clothes and up to the manor, and Damian to continue training. Dick watched them go, then arched a brow at Bruce.

"Bruce?"

"Dick...Jason is dangerous," Bruce said evenly, not breaking eye contact. Dick's jaw dropped in disbelief. Was Bruce spying on him?! But of course he was, and he knew he shouldn't be surprised.

"Are you spying on me?! You have cameras in my apartment?!" Dick growled. Bruce turned back to the computer and brought up video footage of Dick's apartment.

"Yes. I just wanted to keep you safe, Dick." Dick snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"I honestly can't say I'm surprised. I mean, I am a little bit, because I thought we were past this crap, but really?! Where is it?!" Dick asked.

"I was worried about you. You know what happened in Bludhaven before," Bruce pointed out. Dick groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Yeah, I know-"

"You didn't reach out to anyone, didn't talk to anyone, you just fled to New York. We were worried about you when we hadn't heard from you," Bruce added.

"I needed space, Bruce! From Bludhaven, from all the crap I put up with, from-"

"Me," Bruce said evenly. Dick clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah. From you. Jason died Bruce, and you didn't even tell me! I was angry! Jason was my little brother, Bruce!"

"He was more than that to you, Dick," Bruce interrupted and Dick found himself speechless again. What was Bruce implying?

"What?"

"You've always loved Jason, Dick. I think a lot more than a brother, and a lot more than you realize. So when it comes to Jason, I think your judgment is clouded-"

"Enough! Bruce, I'm not going to argue about this! Jason is my brother, and I don't know what you're going on about, but there's nothing more than that going on between me and Jason!" Dick snapped. Bruce went to speak again, but Dick held up a hand to stop him. "I know Jason is dangerous, but I also know he's your son! You might be ready to give up on him, but I'm not! Now, the cameras Bruce! Where are they?!" Dick growled. Bruce was silent for a time before turning back to the Batcomputer and plugging something into the system. All the cameras came up on the screen and one by one, they blinked off. Bruce turned back around and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Their programs have been terminated. They're destroyed. I promise," Bruce said with a sigh. Dick sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands again.

"You know, if you wanted to make sure I was okay, a simple phone call or a visit wouldn't hurt," Dick said with a chuckle of amusement. Bruce, stone faced as ever, gave a nod.

"Alright."

"That it?"

"Yes. Except for Barbara's cameras," Bruce added with a slight smirk. Dick's jaw dropped and he shook his head.

"I can't believe it!"


	3. Chapter 3

Dick was crouched atop a building in Bludhaven, looking out over the city below as the sun began to set. The skyline was ignited by beautiful golds and oranges, the harbinger of nightfall. Somehow, the Bludhaven skyline was less impressive than that of Gotham's, which Dick had decided a long time ago was his true home. He'd belonged to a lot of homes over the years; Haly's Circus, Gotham, Bludhaven, New York City, and yet amongst them all, Gotham felt the most like home.

He had family in Haly's Circus, but the people he grew up with, were in Gotham. Bruce, Alfred, Tim, Damian, Barbara, heck, even Selina or even Jim Gordon if he stopped to ponder it for a bit. Gotham was home, but Bludhaven was his city. And tonight, he was on a stake out, trying to garner some information on an arms deal Penguin was running out of Bludhaven. He was watching thugs moving crates in and out of the warehouse through his mask's built in magnification sight.

"So were you ever planning to tell me about the cameras in my apartment?" Dick asked, his attention still on the warehouse below. Barbara crouched down beside him, garbed in her Batgirl gear, and pulled out a pair of binoculars to watch the place with him.

"Eventually. I was worried about you. You know you're not always open when something's really bothering you. And you tend to be rash and reckless," Barbara said evenly. Dick glanced over at her and frowned, but she didn't miss a beat. "Oh don't give me that look. You know what I mean. After that whole mess with Blockbuster, you up and left and dropped all contact." Dick heaved a sigh and turned his attention back to the thugs below. He couldn't really argue with that, but he was still a bit upset with the spying.

"I see you're back on patrol. I guess that means the surgery went well then?" Dick asked. Barbara smiled as she stared down at the warehouse with him.

"Yeah. Had to re-train a bit though. I was way out of practice," she said with a chuckle of amusement.

"You going to miss being Oracle?" Dick asked.

"A bit, but I won't miss it nearly as much as I missed being Batgirl," she answered easily. Dick shifted a bit to get into a more comfortable position. It wasn't the first time Penguin had used Bludhaven as a proxy to smuggle something into Gotham. As a matter of fact, Bludhaven was often used as such by the criminals of Gotham.

"So, you hit 'em high, I hit 'em low?" Dick asked with a smirk. Barbara grinned and retrieved her grappling gun.

"You bet," Dick answered, grabbing his own grappling gun. Dick swung across the way and crashed through the window, landing on two of Penguin's thugs below, slamming them against the ground and knocking them out cold. He looked up just in time to see Barbara crash through the roof, slinging several batarangs to disarm three more, landing in the middle of three other thugs and performing a series of quick take downs.

"It's good to see you back in action Batgirl!" Dick called, leaping into the fray. Dick landed on the shoulders of a thug and wrapped his legs around his head. He flipped forward and using all his strength, threw the man into two of his comrades. Dick turned in time to see Barbara going toe-to-toe with a rather large, brawny opponent. As he swung his aluminum bat at her, she ducked and slid between his legs, flipping around and landing on his shoulders. As he looked up, she delivered a quick strike to his face, rendering him unconscious before cartwheeling away from some gun fire. Dick turned his attention back to the rest of Penguin's hired muscle and drew several pellets from the secret compartments on his gauntlets, tossing them at a group of charging men with melee weapons. The pellets landed in front of them and exploded, letting loose a smokescreen. Dick, joined by Barbara, used the smokescreen in conjunction with their infrared vision to take down the rest of Penguin's men.

When the smoke cleared, only Batgirl and Nightwing stood unharmed, surrounded by a dozen or so unconscious thugs. Dick turned to Barbara and grinned, the two of them high-fiving each other.

"Looks like you still got it," Dick complimented. Barbara giggled a bit and winked at him.

"Never lost it," she replied, as the two of them got to work gathering up and tying the thugs together for the police.

"Someone give me an update!" came Penguin's voice. Dick and Barbara exchanged a look, then Dick followed the sounds of insults to a radio sitting on a desk. "You're late! Where the hell are my damn weapons?!" Penguin growled when Dick picked up.

"Oooh, sorry Penguin, but your shipment had to be canceled! Your men are kind of busy going to jail," Dick said with a grin. Penguin growled on the other end and cursed at him.

"Nightwing! Dammit. If it's not Batman, it's you. You bats are really getting to be a pain in my-"

"Behind you," Dick said smoothly.

"What? Argh!"

Dick waited patiently, drumming his fingers against the desk. Moments later, Bruce answered him.

"Good work Nightwing.' Dick grinned from ear-to-ear; he still had it. Dick turned and made his way through the warehouse as Barbara finished tying up the last of Penguin's men, contacting the BPD. Together, the two of them left the building, grappling up through the roof and away from the warehouse.

The two of them perched atop a skyscraper with Dick standing on the edge of the building, looking out over the city below. He turned to Barbara and flashed a smile.

"So, what brought you to Bludhaven anyway?" Dick asked, dropping down from the ledge and padding over toward Barbara. He crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. He had a few guesses to why she could be here, but he wanted to hear it from her first.

"I came here to see you," she said honestly, giving him a smile. "It's been a long time since we teamed up together in the field, and I wanted to talk to you. In person," she added. Dick's expression faded a bit at that, suspecting she was here to talk about Jason; an educated guess considering how his conversation with Bruce had gone.

"Is this about Jason?" Dick asked with a frown. Barbara was silent for a moment, placing a hand on her hip as she frowned a bit.

"Since you knew about the cameras, I'm assuming Bruce already talked to you?" she asked. Dick arched an eyebrow and she laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. Then he's already said everything I would've said, and for the record, I agree." Dick sighed and raked a hand through his hair, ready to argue, but Barbara seemed to have more to day. "For what it's worth though, I trust you. You've always let your heart guide you, Dick. As much as logic or anything else."

"Yeah, and you see where that's gotten me before," Dick joked with a laugh. Barbara joined in, laughing a little at his reply.

"I'm serious though. But tell me something," she said, moving a little closer to him. Dick's smile faded a bit when she suddenly turned serious. "Can you honestly say that you don't feel anything for Jason?"

Dick snorted, throwing his arms up in the air and walking away from her.

"Come on Barbara, not you too?!" Dick asked incredulously. He turned back to her and shook his head. "There's nothing going on, Babs. I think I of all people would notice!" Barbara laughed and waved her had dismissively.

"No, you really wouldn't. You've always been blind when it comes to Jason, Dick. Your judgment tends to be lacking there," she pointed out, to which Dick frowned. "But I didn't come here to argue. What Bruce said, he's right. Jason in dangerous and I just want you to be careful."

"He's family, Babs. I can't just give up on him," Dick answered in a softer tone. Barbara gave a nod in reply.

"I get it, I do. And I kind of understand why Jason thinks and acts the way he does. He had a rough childhood and he's seen the worst Gotham has to offer," Barbara said. Dick waited for the 'but' because there was always a 'but'. "But what he's doing? It's wrong. I think we all know that. Even he's got to know it on some level."

"Yeah. But-" Dick began and he paused for a moment, locking eyes with her "there's a piece of me, and I hate it, that kind of agrees with him. After years of busting the same criminals over and over-"

"Oh believe me, I get that too," Barbara added with a slight laugh. "You remember what the Joker did to me. If I was completely honest, there were more than a few times that I was kind of hoping Jason would actually kill him, y'know? But the differences is that we choose not to act on those feelings."

"Yeah," Dick answered simply, heaving an exasperated sigh. "It keeps me up at night sometimes, y'know? What Jason said." Barbara fell silent, waiting for Dick to continue. He flashed her a sad look and shrugged his shoulders. "How many people would be alive today if..."

"The Joker was dead? Yeah, I know. It's not pleasant to think about," Barbara said softly. Dick took a deep breath, his smile returning. He approached Barbara and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Babs. Y'know. For looking out for me. For listening to me. I appreciate it."

"I know," she replied with a smug grin, earning a laugh from Dick. "The cameras are in the kitchen cabinet, next to the fridge, the living room on the shelf above the tv and the bedroom, inside the nightstand." Dick chuckled in amusement and gave a nod.

"Thanks. Hey, do you want to come back to my place and-" Barbara laughed and cut him off.

"Oh no, I think I'll pass. That's a tempting offer but I need to get back to Gotham," Barbara said softly. She patted her face gently, then placed a kiss on his face. "I'm...not quite ready to give...well, 'us' another chance yet. I'm sorry."

Dick flashed a smile but nodded in understanding. They'd always had sort of an on-again-off-again relationship, but the last time, they hadn't exactly split up on the best of terms.

"I understand, but I wasn't trying to-"

"I know. But us, alone, in your apartment after a heart-to-heart. Hits a little close to home, y'know?" she asked with a chuckle. Dick grinned and nodded.

"Yeah. See you soon Babs. Drop by some time, okay?" Dick asked. Barbara giggled a bit as she sauntered over to the edge of the building.

"Will do, Boy Wonder," she replied, winking at him before diving over the edge of the building.

-o-o-O-o-o-

Dick heaved a weary sigh as he landed onto the rooftop of his apartment building. He rubbed his shoulder, rolling his arm a bit as he dropped down to the fire escape and climbed in through the window, closing it behind himself. As he turned to go to his bedroom to change, he froze in place like a deer in the headlights. Jason was reclined on his couch, reading one of his books and eating take out.

Jason looked at Dick over the top of his book, swallowing a piece of teriyaki chicken before marking his place and closing the book shut, tossing it onto the coffee table.

"Well hello Dickie-Bird," Jason said casually, rising from his place on the couch. He stretched his arms a bit behind his back and padded over to Dick; he was still in full uniform, sans the red helmet. Jason stopped in front of Dick and patted his shoulder, flashing him a grin.

"I was in the neighborhood. Thought I'd drop by and say hello," Jason said evenly. He moved into the kitchen and discarded the take out boxes before coming back into the living room. Dick stood there dumbfounded; why was Jason here? 'In the neighborhood' wasn't a good enough reason. There had to be something else.

Dick peeled off his domino mask and retreated into his bedroom, changing into civilian clothes; a pair of jeans and a white tanktop. He came back out to find Jason poking around his apartment.

"Jay, what are you _really_ doing here?" Dick asked with an accusing tone, arching an eyebrow at the younger man. Jason turned back to Dick and snorted.

"Your security sucks. No traps, no locks, no alarms. You know anyone, anyone, could just waltz on in, right?" Jason said flatly, unimpressed with Dick's lack of security. He poked around the kitchen a bit, even checked the locks on the front door.

"Jason," Dick said firmly.

"What?" Jason asked innocently.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Dick asked, enunciating each word slowly and clearly. Jason huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What? Guy can't visit his brother?" Jason asked innocently. Dick snorted and padded into the kitchen, brushing past Jason and pulling a couple of beers out of the refrigerator, tossing one to Jason. Jason caught it out of the air and Dick flopped onto his couch, pushing a t-shirt out of the way to make space for Jason.

"Not you. You usually have a reason. And as you were so kind to point out last night-" Dick began, sipping his beer "-we've been fighting for a while now. And you tried to kill me. _Twice_." Jason smirked as he padded across the living room and joined Dick on the couch sipping his own beer.

"You want the truth then?"

"That'd be nice."

"Alright then. It's been bothering me since last night, but why did you suddenly offer me a place to stay last night? What do you want? What's the catch?" Jason asked, shifting on the couch to better look at Dick. Dick arched a brow at him and sipped his beer, also shifting positions to better look at Jason.

"This again? I already told you, Jay, it's because you're-"

"Do _not_ say it's because I'm your brother. That's bullshit and we both know it," Jason snapped, pushing himself up off the couch. He turned to Dick, pointing at him, beer in hand, demanding an answer. "We were literally beating the crap out of each other seconds before, and then suddenly, you turn all buddy buddy and want to help me. What the hell do you want?"

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Dick asked, keeping his voice level as he rose up off of the couch.

"Because when people offer you something, they _always_ want something in exchange. I tried to play it off, but I can't. What. Do. You. Want?" Jason retorted, voice rising a bit. Dick heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Jason, for the last time. You're my brother and I love you. I just want to help you," Dick answered. Jason didn't seem to like that answer, because he growled and set his beer down on the coffee table and got up in Dick's space.

"You want to help me?! What makes you think I need help?" Jason asked in a low tone.

"Well, the killing for one. And because I know nobody can go through what you went through and not come out unscathed," Dick replied evenly, walking around Jason to reclaim some space. He stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and leaned against the doorway. Jason turned and now Dick had a sad look on his face.

"Bruce told me how you came back. Talia told him she brought you back via the Lazarus Pit, because she saw how much your death changed him," Dick began. Jason snorted, waving his hand dismissively.

"Then he lied to you."

"What?"

"That's not how I came back, Dick. I woke up in my own damn coffin. Dug myself out of my own fucking grave, and wandered around like a fucking zombie for months," Jason ground out. Dick gasped shocked. Why would Bruce lie about that?! Jason smirked at Dick's surprise and took a step forward. "What? So surprised that Bruce would keep secrets from you? Lie to you? Yeah, he does that," Jason snorted, grabbing up his beer and taking a swig of it. "True, Talia pushed me into the Lazarus Pit and restored my mind. But she also told me all about how the Joker was still alive and killing people." Jason snorted again and pushed back Dick who watched him with sorrow etched on his face.

Why couldn't Bruce be honest with him? And for Jason to come back in such a horrifying way...! Add that to his own death and Jason-

"Don't," Jason growled, cutting off his train of thought. "Don't fucking pity be. I don't want your damn pity." Dick didn't say a word, just simply nodded. A silence settled between the two of them as they drank their beer. The silence was crushing, awkward. Finally, Jason pushed past Dick and headed for the window.

"See ya Goldie. Thanks for the chat. And the beer," Jason said smoothly, climbing out the window. Dick took a step forward and called after him, stopping him.

"Jason, wait!" Dick called. Jason stopped, one leg already out the window and his helmet tucked under his arm. "I want you to know-" Dick paused, looking away from Jason and licking his lips, thinking carefully on his words "-it doesn't matter what the others think. Even if they...don't want you. _I_ do. You're my brother." Jason watched him in silence for a few moments, the two of them locking eyes. "You're welcome here any time. For any reason. Okay?"

Jason remained silent, eyes locked onto Dick's face, trying to read him. All he could see was a damn smile, and a kindness that he didn't think he really deserved. Without a word, Jason climbed out of the window, shutting it closed tight behind him, and left. Dick heaved a sigh, finishing his beer and tossing the bottle into the recycling bin. He went for his bedroom, but Jason stopped him. The man came back, pushing open his window again and sticking his head through.

"Hey Dick?" Jason asked. Dick smiled a bit and turned.

"What is it Jaybird?" Dick asked. Jason frowned at the nickname, but let it slide.

"Get a fucking dog or something. Seriously, your security is crap," Jason said before leaving for real this time. Dick just stared at the window, a little dumbstruck.

"Uh...okay?"


	4. Chapter 4

Jason slid across the ground, both hand guns at the ready. He fired a series or shots and nailed six of the thugs in the ankles, dropping them to the floor, bleeding out and shouting in pain. As he slid to a stop, a large man with a crate lifted over head attempted to smash him. Jason put a stop to that by whipping one of his guns at the mean's head. The gun smacked off his forehead then slid across the floor. The man yelped, followed by a startled cry as he dropped the crate on his own head. He crumpled to the ground in a heap. As Jason turned around, the remaining thugs descended upon him with various melee weapons in hand.

"Oh me, oh my! I am surrounded! Is this the end of little old me? Whatever shall I do?" Jason said amusedly. As the first man came at him with a tire iron, he blocked the attack with a gauntlet. He punched the man in the face, then spun him around and used him as a shield as another thug pulled out a gun and fired at him. He instead killed his buddy, and Jason threw the corpse at another, attacking from his left with an aluminum bat. Another came from his right and he pulled out a grappling gun and grappled up to the top of the shelf behind him. He ducked behind it as the thugs climbed it to try and reach him.

"Going down!" Jason called, grunting with effort as he used all his strength to push the shelf over. The thugs shouted as they scattered to try and escape, but they were pinned as the shelf fell on them. Jason clapped his hands together as he dropped back down onto the floor below, admiring his handiwork. Previously, he would've killed them all. Instead, he settled for alerting the GCPD.

Jason made his way out of the warehouse and found himself face to face with Batman, that infamous Batman scowl on his face. Jason took off his helmet, tucking it under his arm and grinned at the man.

"You're a little late to the party, Bruce. You seem to be losing your edge," Jason taunted. Bruce glared at him and took a threatening step forward, but Jason didn't flinch. "Don't give me that look. I'm not some common thug you can intimidate with a fucking glare," Jason snapped at him, grin still plastered across his face. "Besides, I only killed one this time. The rest are still breathing. I think," Jason added. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked into the warehouse through the open door. "Okay, well to be fair, that dead guy's buddy shot him, not me. I just used him as a shield."

"This isn't a joke, Jason. People are dying. You need to stop," Bruce growled. Jason chuckled in amusement and shook his head.

"This again? Thought you would've learned by now," Jason began. He took a step forward, pointing at Bruce and shooting him a scathing glare "I'm not Robin anymore. I don't take orders from you." Bruce stepped closer, but Jason still refused to budge.

"I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about Dick." Jason quirked an eyebrow, at the sudden change in topic. And then he laughed, hand carding through his hair.

"Wow. You're here to talk to me about Goldie? Well, I hate to break it to you, Brucie, but I don't care," Jason said evenly, attempting to push past Bruce. Bruce grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. It took a lot of willpower on Jason's part not to swing at him.

"I don't know what you're up to, Jason, but leave Dick out of it," Bruce threatened. Jason's eyes narrowed as the two of them glared at each other in silence. A smug grin split Jason's face as he stepped back a bit, donning his helmet again.

"Aw, feeling awfully protective of the perfect son, aren't you? What, you afraid I'll make him see you for what you really are? A liar who never cared about any of us? A man who just needed a child soldier?"

"That's not true," Bruce growled in response. Jason snorted.

"Cut the crap, Bruce. You didn't care about me. I was just a soldier. You used me like everyone else in Gotham and then you threw me away," Jason ground out. "If you really cared, you wouldn't have let my death go unpunished. You would've done something."

"I did-"

"You threw him back in Arkham! For god's sake Bruce! The Joker has escaped from that place more times than I can count! And because of you-" Jason shouted, pointing accusingly at Bruce "-he's kept killing, filling graveyards! I'm just doing what you can't. Putting a stop to it. And I promise you Bruce, the next time the Joker and I meet, I'm going to do what you should have done years ago, and bury him." Jason turned and hopped onto his motorcycle, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Jason glared at Bruce, but the man just glared back.

"Stay away from Dick. He cares about you more than he should. I don't want you taking advantage of his kindness," Bruce said warningly. Jason just grinned at him before taking off into the night. As Jason sped down the busy streets of Gotham, he thought about his confrontation with Bruce; it was quite revealing. It seemed likely that his usual safe house, down in the Bowery, had been bugged. He knew Bruce was paranoid like that. He'd need somewhere else to go. Fortunately, he had one safe house he was sure Bruce wouldn't know of; the apartment where he spent his childhood. It was too painfully obvious, this making it the perfect place to crash.

The drive was just a short five minutes, and when he arrived, he climbed up the fire escape and in through the window to his apartment. He closed the window behind himself and pulled off his helmet. His eyes narrowed when he felt a pair of eyes on him; he spun around with a gun in hand to find-

"Replacement," Jason said flatly, holstering the gun. He made for the front door to confirm that the electronic locks had been hacked, then kicked his boots off by the door. He turned to the teen who was dressed in the red, black, and gold of Red Robin. He eyed the teen's outfit curiously, from the black domino mask and yellow 'X' belts on his chest, to the wing-like cape on his back. "What're you doing in my safe house?" Jason asked flatly, padding across the room and into the kitchen.

It was a small, quaint apartment with a single bedroom and bathroom a small living room and a kitchen. Growing up, his 'family', if you could call it that, didn't have much and this was all they could afford. It was better furbished now, thanks to the money Jason had picked up from both his Outlaw days, and that he'd saved from his time as a Crime Boss. Occasionally, he and Roy would still team up for the odd mission like the good old days. It was mercenary work, essentially and it paid well, but for the most part, he stuck to fighting crime here in Gotham and occasionally Bludhaven.

Jason came out of the kitcehn with a couple of beer cans and tossed one to Tim, who caught it and made a disgusted face.

"Jason, I'm sixteen," Tim pointed out, peeling off the mask and arching an eyebrow. Jason gave a shrug and sipped his own beer.

"So what? I started smoking when I was nine. It's Gotham. No one gives a shit," Jason replied, relaxing on his couch. "But back to the important part; how the hell did you know about this place? And why are you here?" Tim rolled his eyes and set the beer down on the coffee table, crossing his arms over his chest.

"To answer your first question, I'm a detective. A very good one. This place was too obvious to look, and that's why I thought to look here," Tim pointed out. Jason smirked and pointed at the teen. He had to give him credit where credit was due; it was pretty smart to find out where he grew up and look there first. "Second, I came to talk to you. I want to know what you have planned for Dick."

Jason groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. He literally just had this conversation with Bruce.  
"Okay, first, there are no plans for Dick. Second-" Jason turned when he heard his window opening and looked to see Batgirl climbing in through his window. "Okay, what the hell?" Jason asked with a frown as Barbara stood to full height.

"Your safe house isn't as hard to find as you thought. Too obvious Bruce wouldn't think to look here, but-" Barbara began, but Jason interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm starting to see that. What the hell do you two want? If this is about Dick, then piss off. I already heard it from Bruce, I don't need it from you two either." Jason padded over to the window and looked out to see if anyone else was coming. He turned to Barbara and Tim again and frowned.

"How the hell did you people get past my security?"

"It was pretty minimal. Let me guess, you assumed you were so well hidden in plain sight, that you wouldn't need much?" Tim asked with a smug grin.

"And I scanned the roof for roof sensors and disabled them," Barbara added with a little smirk.

"I hate you both," Jason said sourly, flopping onto the couch.

"Well, since you've already talked with Bruce, then you know what will happen if you hurt Dick?" Barbara asked sweetly. Jason snorted and sipped his beer, pointing toward the window.

"There's the exit. Use it."

"Not yet, Jason. We're going to have a talk about Dick, and you taking advantage of him," Barbara snapped. Jason rolled his eyes set his beer can down.

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Actually, as I was sneaking out-" Tim began, interrupted by a bark of laughter from Jason.

"You snuck out?"

"You used to, too," Barbara pointed out.

"Point taken. He just looks like the obedient type," Jason replied. It was Tim's turn to laugh.

"Hardly. Anyway, Alfred told me to tell you that Bruce is out of the manor all day on business in Metropolis," Tim finished. Jason mulled the information over in his head. It had been a while since he'd been to the manor to visit with Alfred. He missed the old man, who'd practically been like a grandfather to him. Alfred had always been good to him, even after he tried to kill Bruce on several different occasions.

"Thanks. And what about you? Come to tell me to leave Dick alone, too?" Jason asked, sipping his beer. Barbara glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, Jason, you may not want to hear this and you may not believe it, but those of us who knew you before you died, we still care about you."

"Funny way of showing it," Jason snorted in reply.

"Maybe if you stopped killing people and pushing us away-"

"Well, this has been fun, but I'm out," Jason finally said, pushing himself up off the couch. He kicked on his boots and made for the window. "You can let yourselves out." Jason jumped down from the fire escape, digging into the pocket of his jeans for his keys and hopping onto his motorcycle. Looks like he'd need another place to crash for the night. One not swarming with people he didn't want to see. None of his safe houses in Gotham were safe from them, it seemed. So that just left one place; Bludhaven.

Jason's face flushed pink as his thoughts went to Dick. He'd been going there an awful lot lately. Three or four times in the last week was a lot, he thought. Was Roy...right? About him having feelings for-

"No, that's crap, Jason," Jason said to himself, speeding off toward the city limits.

-o-o-O-o-o-

Dick glanced over toward his window to see Jason pulling himself through it. He was dressed in civilian clothes this time; a black shirt, dark jeans and a black leather jacket. By now, Dick wasn't even surprised to see Jason anymore, as it had become a common occurrence. But Jason didn't look happy.

"What's wrong?" Dick asked carefully, eating fried rice out of a take out box. Jason grimaced at the mess that was Dick Grayson's apartment, but ignored it for the moment when a little black Great Dane puppy came barking at his heels, his little tail wagging. Jason glared at Dick.

"I said a dog, Dick. This is a puppy. This is your idea of security?" Jason asked, arching a brow. Dick gave an innocent look and a shrug.

"What? He'll grow into the role. Besides, look at him!" Dick said with a smile. Jason frowned and looked down at the little puppy jumping up on his leg. He bent down and picked him up to get a better look at him, scrunching up his nose when the dog licked his face.

"Alright, fine, he's pretty cute, but Dick-"  
"It's fine, relax Jason. I'll get some electronic locks for the door if it'll make you feel better," Dick replied in an amused tone. Jason frowned as him as he set the puppy down and moved over to the couch to sit beside Dick. Dick handed him a takeout box with teriyaki steak in it. "I figured you would be by so I saved you some," Dick said. Jason grunted in thanks and grabbed a stick of teriyaki steak, munching on it in silence. "His name is Jaybird," Dick said with a smirk. Jason glared at him.

"Really? You named him Jaybird? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't smother you with a pillow while you sleep," Jason growled, though his tone betrayed a teasing edge to his voice. Dick laughed in amusement, turning to Jason and watching as the puppy sat in front of him, giving him the puppy eyes.

"I'm kidding. His name is Ace," Dick replied, munching on some more rice. Jason turned to the dog and nodded in approval; Ace was a good name. He leaned over to feed him some steak, but Dick stopped him, grabbing his arm and pulling it away. "Don't feed him. I don't want him getting into people food," Dick said with his mouth full, earning a disgusted look from Jason.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, slob," he replied. Dick swallowed his food and laughed, playfully swatting Jason's shoulder.

"Okay Alfred," Dick replied with a grin. Jason blushed a little and shook his head in disbelief; he really did sound like Alfred. "So you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Dick asked between bites. Jason frowned, hesitant to share his troubled with Dick. It was weird, especially with he and Dick being so buddy-buddy lately, like the last few years hadn't happened.

"Escaping from Gotham. Bruce, Tim and Barbara are all up my ass about you," Jason said honestly, making a disgusted face. Dick arched an eyebrow.

"About me?"

"Yeah. They're afraid I'm taking advantage of you or some stupid shit." Dick laughed in amusement and Jason flashed him a quizzical look. "What's so funny? It's not like they're wrong exactly. It's the kinda thing I'd do," Jason said honestly. Dick nodded, a smile on his face as he took another bite.

"That's true, but you're not taking advantage of me. I like having you here," Dick replied. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, Jason with a dumbfounded look on his face and Dick giving him one of the warmest smiles he swore he'd ever seen and likely hadn't deserved. The two looked away nervously, a light blush pn each of their faces.

"For what it's worth, I've heard it from all of them too. About how you're 'dangerous' and I need to be 'careful'." Dick replied, rolling his eyes. Jason snorted derisively, finishing the last of the teriyaki steak.

"They're not wrong y'know.

"I know."

Another silence settled between the two of them as they finished their meal. A glance at the clock showed that it was indeed late; it was past midnight. Technically, that was still early for them, and only late by the whole rest of the world's standards.

Dick pushed himself up off of the couch and turned to Jason, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, you can take the bed-" Dick began, but as he predicted, Jason shut him down.

"No."

"But-"

"No, Dick. It's your place, I'm fine with the couch. Stop arguing, I can do this all night" Jason interrupted, flashing Dick a smirk. Dick frowned at him.

"Well, then we could always share," Dick blurted out, face going crimson when he realized what he'd just said. Jason looked up at him incredulously, his own face tinted pink. And then he started laughing.

"Oh wow, Dickie. I'm flattered! I mean, I know I'm irresistible-"

"Oh fuck off," Dick replied in a joking tone, grabbing a couch pillow and throwing it at Jason. Jason only laughed harder.

"The couch is fine. The last thing that needs to happen is one of us popping a morning boner against other. Nothing more awkward than having a stiffy poking you in the ass first thing in the morning," Jason joked and Dick busted out in laughter.

"God, you're horrible!" he said with a laugh, padding into the room and fetching a blanket and pillow. "Here. Good night Jaybird."

"Night Dickie," Jason replied, peeling off his jacket and kicking off his boots. He reclined on the couch and made himself comfortable. Or he was, until Ace hopped up on top of him. "Hey, what'd you think you're doing?" Jason asked. The little pup looked up at him and barked once, his tail wagging.

"Looks like you've got a new friend Jaybird. C'mon Ace, let's let Jason sleep," Dick called, padding into the room with Ace hot on his heels.


	5. Chapter 5

Dick padded out of his bedroom dressed in a pair of blue dorm pants and a white tank top. He still had bed hair and hadn't bothered to fix that or his bed either. _Later_ , he thought to himself. Sort of like the rest of his apartment. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom and sighed sadly; unsurprisingly, Jason was already gone, his blanket neatly folded and the pillow on top of it at the end of the couch. He had kind of hoped Jason would stick around for just one morning, at least long enough for breakfast anyway. He blushed a little and briefly let his mind reflect on that thought and why he felt that way. But he pushed that aside and padded into the kitchen to make coffee.

Something drew his attention from his work though; namely the sound of someone at his door. Curious, he padded over to the door to see who it could possibly be, and this early in the morning no less. Dick grabbed the chrome handle and pulled the door open and to his surprise, there stood Jason, fully dressed with a leash in hand and Ace on the other end of it, panting and tail wagging happily.

"Morning Dickie-bird," Jason said smoothly with a smirk, pushing past Dick and into the apartment. Ace gave a little bark and a tail wag at Dick as Jason unhooked the leash and hung it up on the wall.

"I was gonna take off, but the little guy was begging at the door to go out. You were asleep so I took care of it myself," Jason said with a shrug. "Anyway, thanks. I suppose I'll catch ya later Big Bird," Jason said, turning to leave. Dick stopped him with a hand on his arm and flashed him a smile.

"C'mon. Stay for a little bit. Have breakfast at least," Dick suggested. Jason frowned, glaring at Dick as if trying to discern some hidden motive, and Dick flinched a little under his gaze. Did he say something wrong?

"Hmph. Fine, I suppose I can stay for a bit. But just this once," Jason said with a shrug of his shoulders, shucking his jacket off and hanging it on a coat peg. Dick got a strange, giddy feeling in his stomach that made him blush, but he brushed it off. It was probably just hunger. _Yeah._

Dick padded into the kitchen with Jason behind him. He looked over his shoulder as Jason sat at the table. Dick hummed a tune to himself, something his mother used to hum to him as a child and pulled open the refrigerator, pulling out a flat of eggs, some milk, bacon, and cheese. Dick fired up the frying pan and greased it and while that heated up, he made some toast. He looked over at the table again, spying Jason over at the coffee pot before the man sat back at the table again.

"You know, Dickie," Jason began, sipping his coffee "if Alfred saw this place, he'd be appalled." Dick snorted in reply as he cooked, but didn't disagree. Alfred and Jason were alike in that regard. They preferred everything neat and tidy, with everything in its place. Though he supposed he could try being a little more like them and clean up every now and then.

Dick finished his cooking and made his way back over to the table, placing two plates of cheese omlettes, bacon, and toast on the table for himself and Jason.

"Eat up!" Dick said cheerily, munching away on his omlette. Jason poked at it curiously before taking a bite. He gave a shrug and a smirk as he grabbed a piece of bacon.

"Not bad Big Bird. This is pretty good," Jason said smoothly. Dick just flashed him a grin as he stabbed at his omlette again. Jason waited until Dick wasn't looking to slip a piece of bacon to Ace. The little pup wagged his tail happily as he munched quietly on the strip. Dick however, did see it and opted not to call Jason on it. He just smiled to himself; try as Jason might to hide it, he knew the man was just a great big teddy bear on the inside. The two of them finished breakfast in silence, save for a bit of banter or a comment here or there. Once they finished their meals, Jason padded over to the kitchen sink, washing his own plate, fork, and coffee mug, then made for the door.

"Thanks for breakfast, but I gotta go. Gotta go see Alfred," Jason said smoothly. Dick looked up from the kitchen sink as he dumped his dishes into the dishwater.

"Oh? Why don't I go with you? I've been meaning to get other there myself, but between work and patrol, I've just been too busy," Dick called after him. Jason glanced over his shoulder and frowned at him.

"Why?" he asked. Dick shrugged.

"Why not?"

"Fine, but we're taking my bike. I'm not leaving my baby in Bludhaven," Jason said, matter-of-factly. Dick quirked an eyebrow at the comment as he padded into his bedroom to change.

"You're 'baby'?" Dick asked with a hint of amusement. Jason crossed his arms of his chest and snorted.

"Uh yeah? I love that damn bike. I don't trust Bludhaven," Jason replied. Dick came out moments later in a blue tank top, a pair of jeans, and a black jacket.

"But you trust Gotham?" Dick asked with a smirk, arching an eyebrow.

"Bite me," Jason replied with a smirk, heading out of the apartment. Dick grabbed the leash and picked up Ace, tucking the little pup under his arm. Jason glanced back over his shoulder as Dick locked the door.

"Dick, how are you going to carry him?" Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Have you already forgotten that we're taking the bike?" Dick smiled and tucked little Ace inside his coat, zipping it up part way.

"It'll be fine. Now c'mon!"

-o-o-O-o-o-

Dick and Jason hopped off of the motorcycle and Dick clipped the leash onto Ace, setting him down on the ground. Ace bounded around happily as they headed for the front door. Alfred opened it before they got the chance to knock or ring the bell.

"Master Richard. Master Jason. What a pleasant surprise," Alfred said with a small smile. He glanced down at Ace as the puppy hopped up on his leg, wagging his tail excitedly. "And who is this?" Alfred asked, bending down to scratch the pup's ears. Dick chuckled in amusement, gently tugging Ace off of Alfred.

"His name is Ace," Dick replied. A silence settled between the three of them as Alfred glanced back and forth between Dick and Jason, a small smile gracing his face.

"What?" Jason finally asked. Alfred shook his head and invited them inside.  
"Nothing Master Jason. Merely reminiscing," Alfred answered as he closed the door behind him. Dick unclipped the leash and let Ace run free; the puppy wasted no time and bounded off through the manor.

Jason turned and hugged Alfred.

"Hey, it's good to see you Al," Jason said smoothly. Dick watched with a warm smile; it was nice to see that, as far as Alfred was concerned, Jason hadn't changed a bit. Alfred chuckled and returned the embrace.

"And you as well, Master Jason. Master Bruce will be out for most of the day. I do hope you can stay for lunch at least?"

"Well, we'll see. But yeah," Jason replied, giving a shrug of his shoulders. Dick patted his back and flashed him a smile.

"No matter what, Jason, the manor will always be your home," Dick said to himself. Jason shrugged his hand off and snorted.

"Yeah, sure," he replied flatly. Dick sighed a bit, a little sad to see Jason dismiss this place so easily. It had so many memories here, for him and he was sure, for Jason too. Things hadn't been the same since Jason had died. It got better when Tim became a part of the family, then trying when Damian came along. For now, they had a fragile peace.

"Hey Dick! You-" came Tim's voice as he came down the stairs. He trailed off and stared suspiciously at Jason for a moment. Jason merely flashed the teen a grin.

"Timbo. How're the Titans?" Jason asked, jamming his hands in his pockets and leaning forward a bit. Tim, neutral faced, waved his hand.

"They're fine," he said evenly. Dick rolled his eyes and intervened before either Jason could say anything to cause an argument.

"Alright, don't start you two. Where's Damian?" Dick asked, glancing around the manor. "I half expected you two to be at each other's throats again," Dick added with a slight smirk. Tim snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"He went with Bruce. Insisted on going with him. Thank god. It's given me a bit of peace from his constant 'better than thou' bullsh-"

"Language Master Timothy," Alfred called from the other room. Dick and Jason snickered a bit as Tim shrank a little.

"How does he do that?" Tim whispered.

"I hear everything, Master Timothy," came Alfred's voice again. Tim turned and flashed a smile before retreating back up the stairs. He turned halfway and smiled at Dick.

"Hey, Dick?"

"What's up Little Wing?" Dick asked.

"Are we still down for movie night at your place this Saturday?" Tim asked. Dick flashed Tim a warm smile and nodded.

"Of course we are! I wouldn't cancel that for anything," Dick replied, earning a smile from Tim before the teen retreated upstairs. Dick glanced over at Jason.

"You could always join us, y'know." Jason frowned a bit, then gave a shrug.

"Pass," he said. Flatly, moving into the kitchen. Alfred was there cooking lunch which was Jason's favorite; chili dogs and curly fries. Jason grinned from ear to ear as Alfred smiled at him, sliding a plate across the kitchen island to him.

"Oh man, Alfred, you're my hero," Jason said with a wicked grin, making an exaggerated 'mmm' sound as he bit into the chili dog. "I friggin' love you," he added, sipping on a soda Alfred had given him. The old man smiled fondly at Jason's enthusiasm.

"I haven't forgotten, Master Jason, not after all these years," Alfred said smoothly. Jason flashed the man a smile as he swallowed down another bite. Tim entered the kitchen minutes later, he and Dick laughing as they talked to each other. Dick hopped up on the kitchen island beside Jason, and Tim beside Dick.

"Thanks Alfred," Tim said cheerily, as Alfred served Tim a cheeseburger and Dick cheeseburgers with fries. Jason glanced between Dick and Tim and gave a teasing laugh.

"Haha, I'm the favorite," he teased. Dick laughed and playfully shoved the man.

"Oh, you so wish," Dick replied.

"I think he meant me," Tim added in with a little smirk. Jason turned to Tim and chewed his chili dog.

"Hey Tim, you like seafood?" Jason asked, sticking out his tongue with chewed chili dog on it. Tim made a disgusted noise and leaned away from him.

"Ew, no!"

"Jason! C'mon, are you nine?" Dick mock scolded as he laughed. Jason swallowed and flashed him a grin.

"That's awfully cheeky, coming from a grown ass man who still watched Disney," Jason teased.

"Hey!" both Tim and Dick called, resulting in laughter from the three of them. Alfred just watched them amusedly while sipping his tea.

"Now, now, children," Alfred said to them, settling them down.

"This is nice," Dick said with a warm smile, glancing between Tim, Jason, and Alfred. "I wish we could do this more often."

"Indeed, it brings back fond memories. Like Master Jason, always curled up with a book on his window seat," Alfred said, smiling fondly at Jason. Jason gave a grin and a shrug.

"What can I say? I was a book worm."

"And a nerd," Dick teased, sticking out his tongue. Tim arched an eyebrow at that and leaned forward a bit to look at both Dick and Jason.

"Jason was a nerd?" Tim asked amusedly. Jason snorted.

"Hey, don't sound so surprised. You aren't the only bright one in the house," Jason shot back playfully. Dick chuckled at that and nodded.

"Oh yeah. Always brought home straight A's, he was the top of his class, and he even enjoyed school. I'd argue he was as much of a nerd as you," Dick teased, playfully nudging Jason with his elbow. Jason gave a shrug.

"It's true. I may have out-nerded even you, genius bird," Jason teased. Dick was happy to see that Tim was warming up to Jason, and vice versa, as the two of them started joking with each other and trading friendly barbs. Damian would be a whole other story, but well...one family member at a time.

"Well that was great Alfred, thanks," Jason said smoothly, stretching his arms a bit as he hopped off of his stool. Alfred flashed a smile in response. "I hate to chew and screw, but I should get going before Bruce gets back."

"Wait Jaybird. There's something I want to show you," Dick called after him. He hopped off of his stool and grabbed Jason's shoulder, stopping him. Jason turned around and arched an eyebrow.

"And that would be what exactly?" Jason asked. Dick just nodded toward the stairs.

"Follow me," he said, heading up the stairs with Jason behind him. Dick followed the hallway down to what used to be Jason's room. Jason snorted as they stopped in front of the door.

"What the hell is this?" Jason asked accusingly. Dick didn't answer, just pushed the door open and ushered Jason inside. Jason stepped inside the room and froze in place for a moment, looking around the room. It had been completely untouched, left the way it had been before died. Jason wandered around the room a bit, fingers brushing lightly against the bookshelf in his room. The electric guitar Bruce had bought him still hung on the wall, and the bed looked pristine like it had never been slept in. Every detail was left untouched.

"Alfred's been keeping it clean for years. You don't find a trace of dust anywhere," Dick said softly. Jason turned to glare at him, anger rising.

"Why did you bring me here?!" Jason growled. Dick flashed him a sad smile, undeterred and approached the man. He went to pat Jason's shoulder but the man flinched away from him.

"You need to know, Jaybird. Bruce loved you," Dick said. Jason snorted and turned away from him.

"Bullshit. If he loved me, the Joker would be dead. Instead, he goes back to Arkham. A slap on the fucking wrist," Jason growled. He turned back around, fixing Dick with a venomous glare. "I hate him."

"No you don't. You could've killed him on more than a few occasions, but you didn't," Dick replied, keeping his tone light. He approached Jason again, but knew better than to try anything else. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "You weren't just an expendable soldier, Jason. He tracked the Joker down for weeks, and when he finally found him...he nearly beat the Joker to death. He had to be taken back to Arkham in a full body cast for six months," Dick said. Jason looked unconvinced. He growled at Dick and pushed past him, but Dick stopped him.

"Believe what you want, Jason, but Bruce loved you. He still does. He kept this room exactly the way it was. He hasn't been able to even open the door in years." Jason spun around and shot an angry glare at Dick.

"Yeah? Then maybe he should've gotten Justice for my death! I deserved better! And so did everyone else he's killed!" Jason shouted, storming out of the room. Dick heaved an exasperated sigh and cursed under his breath. He should've known it was too soon for this. He had wanted to try and help mend the relationship between Bruce and Jason, but now he was wondering if he'd thrown all their progress out the window.

Bruce was a sore subject for Jason, but the Joker was a sore subject for all of them. It wasn't bad enough that he'd killed Jason, but to torment Dick, attacking his circus family and killing his childhood friend, too? If it hadn't been for Bruce, Dick would've been a killer too. Bruce had saved all of them, one way or another, and he had tried to save Jason...

"Master Dick?" came Alfred's voice, interrupting Dick's thoughts. Dick looked up and flashed a sad smile.

"Sorry Alfred. I-"

"I know," Alfred replied. Dick made his way out of the room, hugging the man as he went, the made his way down the hall. "Perhaps you should try telling him how you feel." Dick stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face the man.

"What are you talking about?" Dick asked and Alfred chuckled at him, closing the door to Jason's room. He approached Dick and stopped before him.

"I think, on some level, you know what I'm talking about." Dick sighed again, carding a hand through his hair. _Not this again,_ he thought.

"Alfred, I don't-"

"Master Richard. I have been alive for a very, very long time. I have seen war and crime, and even peace and...love," Alfred began. Dick's face flushed a little pink and the butler just cracked a smirk. "I've been alive long enough to interpret the signs. You may not see it, but everyone else does. Maybe we see something you do not?" Alfred patted Dick's shoulder and left him to his thoughts, Dick watching after the old man, unsure of what to say. What could he say? Was there really something there between him and Jason? Everyone else seemed to think so, so why didn't he or Jason?

Dick scrubbed his face with his hands and made his way back downstairs, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on.

"Hey Al? Can I get a ride back to Bludaven?" Dick called as he heard the familiar roar of the engine on Jason's bike. Dick pulled Ace's leash out of his jacket pocket and hooked it onto the puppy's collar, litfing him up into his arms. The puppy's tail wagged happily as he licked Dick's face. There was no smile, however, as his mind began to mull over Alfred's words to him. Perhaps Alfred was right? Still, if he was in love with Jason, he'd know it...right?


	6. Chapter 6

Dick hadn't seen Jason in a week after his ill fated decision to try and play peacemaker at the manor between him and Bruce. Dick went on as usual, but he found himself missing Jason. It made him blush on more than one occasion, but on the bright side, the peace and quiet gave him plenty of time for introspection. Everyone seemed so convinced that he had feelings for Jason. Everyone but him. He began to wonder if there was something to what they were saying and he thought back to how close he and Jason were, to how much he enjoyed Jason's company, both before and after he died.

But there was no sense thinking about that now. Even if it were true, he'd seen no indication Jason felt the same way. He was almost certain Jason was straight anyway. At least, he'd never seen anything to suggest he was interested in men. Sure, he flirted with pretty much anyone, but that was Jason just being Jason. That was his way of getting under people's skin and it seemed to work, at least with the criminals he fought back in his Robin days.

Dick for his part couldn't remember feeling anything for another man either. He certainly had had his fair share of girlfriends over the years. Still, he decided to keep what Alfred said in mind; he couldn't remember Alfred ever being wrong about anything. Ever.

Dick sat at his kitchen table eating cereal and going over some evidence on a case he was working on his laptop, when a knock came at his door. Dick took another bite of his cereal before he pushed himself away from the table. Ace had already beaten him to it, barking and jumping up at the front door. Dick chuckled and gently nudged the pup away from the door with his foot before he pulled it open to see-

"Bruce?" Dick asked, surprised.

"Is this a bad time?" Bruce asked. Dick stood there, dumbfounded for a moment; Bruce had never come to visit him before. At least not as Bruce Wayne anyway. He shook his head and gestured into the apartment.

"No, no. I'm just surprised as all," Dick said with a smirk as Bruce entered the apartment. "You've never visited before." Bruce knelt down to pet Ace who rolled over o his back, his tail wagging happily. Dick smiled and said "his name is Ace." Bruce flashed a small smile and stood back up.

"I thought about what you said, Dick and you're right. Maybe I should visit you more often," Bruce said evenly, to which Dick laughed and lead him into the kitchen.

"You mean as opposed to spying on me with cameras? That'd be a bit more normal," Dick said teasing. Bruce smirked a little as he sat down at the kitchen table while Dick made him a cup of coffee. Dick turned with two mugs of coffee in hand, sliding one of the cups across the table to Bruce. Bruce eyed the mug curiously, then arched an eyebrow at Dick. It was a Batman mug; a black cup with a yellow and black bat symbol.

"Really, Dick?" Bruce asked. Dick snickered to himself as he sipped his own coffee.

"What?" he asked innocently. Bruce just shook his head and sipped his coffee. The two sat there in silence for a time, simply enjoying their coffee. Dick wasn't sure what to say; he hadn't been prepared for Bruce to visit, nor had he expected it. But a question started nagging at his mind, one that had gone unasked for weeks now. He remembered Jason telling him how he came back to life, and he's wondered why Bruce hadn't told him. Now was his chance.

"Bruce," Dick said softly, staring into his coffee pensively. Bruce looked up at Dick and when Dick finally pieced together the words, he asked "why didn't you tell me how Jason came back to life?" There was a pause as Bruce frowned and Dick added "Jason told me the truth. You told me Talia resurrected him, but that's not entirely true, is it?"

There was another paused as Bruce stared into his own mug, mulling over what Dick had said, what he could say. Finally, he sighed and he nodded.

"You'd gone through a lot, Dick. Between Haly's Circus being attacked by the Joker, and your ordeal here in Bludhaven with Blockbuster, I didn't want to add to it," Bruce said evenly, chancing a glance over at Dick. The acrobat bore a neutral expression, eyes half lidded as he stared into his coffee cup. He sighed a bit and placed it down on the table.

"Yeah. I guess it would've...made things worse. That's no way to come back to life," Dick said, trying to imagine the fear and panic Jason must've felt, waking up, buried alive. Alone.

"I tried to figure out how it happened, but I've come up with nothing. To say it's a miracle would be to undersell it. From what I've been able to find, he was brain damaged, surviving on muscle memory. It was Talia who found him and restored his mind," Bruce explained. He glanced over at Dick and shook his head "but I don't know why, before you ask." Dick just gave a curt nod. Another silence followed as the two of them avoided looking at each other.

"So how is Bludhaven?" Bruce asked, finally breaking the silence. Dick released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and flashed Bruce a smile.

"It's...Bludhaven," Dick laughed, unable to really put it into words. "We have a distinct lack of super villains, but the crime and corruption makes Gotham look good in comparison." Bruce snorted in amusement, giving a slight smirk at the explanation. Dick heaved a sigh and carded a hand through his hair. "It took some time, but I decided to rejoin the force. It's not the same; some of the more familiar faces I used to work with aren't...there anymore. And it's kind of like starting from scratch. When I left Bludhaven, things went right back to the way they were before."

Bruce gave a short nod.

"If anyone can fix Bludhaven, it's you, Dick. You did it before and I'm confident you can do it again," Bruce said smoothly. Dick managed a smile and sipped his coffee.

"Yeah, well. It's not all it's shaped up to be. Bludhaven is a mess," Dick replied with a laugh. Bruce snorted again and shook his head.  
"And you think Gotham wasn't? It's still a mess, Dick, but as long as we keep pushing-"

"I know. Can we change the subject? No offense, but all this talk about work is just a little depressing," Dick said with a chuckle of amusement. Bruce managed a smile and nodded.

"How's Jason?" Bruce asked. Dick sighed; that was definitely a loaded question.

"He's...well, Jason. I haven't seen him in a week now though, honestly," Dick replied. He blushed a little bit as his thoughts went back to the manor, to Alfred's words. Bruce must've read something in his face, because he heard a slight laugh from the man, and when he looked, he was smirking.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Bruce asked. Dick's face flushed a deeper shade of pink, despite his best efforts to hide his reaction. He swore Bruce could read minds, because he knew exactly what Bruce was talking about.

"I, uh...don't know," Dick said honestly, doodling invisible patterns onto the table with his finger, trying to hide his face from Bruce. Not hat it would do any good; the man could read body language too. "I've thought about it, what everyone's been saying and I...just...don't know." When Dick finally looked up, Bruce's expression returned to it's usual blank slate.

"Are you happy?" Bruce asked.

"With Jason?" Dick countered. Bruce gave a nod.

"Yes."

"...Yeah." Dick said after some though, and smiled.

-o-o-O-o-o-

The day went well for Dick. He and Bruce grabbed breakfast in town before they parted ways. It was fun and it had reminded him a bit of the old days. It didn't last long though; he'd been called in to work on his day off due to a spike in crime that day, which wasn't unusual for Bludhaven. The day improved a bit as he managed to gather more evidence for his investigation, which suggested that the mayor was involved in a crime ring operating out of the local orphanage. He'd have to play his cards right and slip the evidence to the commissioner as Nightwing, but he was almost certain he had enough to nail the guy.

After a busy day at work, Dick was sitting on his couch cross-legged, munching away on take out. The TV was on but he was only half paying attention to it. Ace was napping quietly beside him on the couch and on his other side, was his laptop; he was finishing up compiling all the evidence against the mayor. Dick had just finished up when he heard his window opening. He closed the laptop and looked over to it hopefully, and sure enough, Jason pulled himself in through the window, closing it behind him.

"Jason," Dick said with a warm smile. Jason grunted as he shucked off his jacket, finally looking up at Dick and frowning.

"Really Dick? Take out? Again?" Jason asked. Dick frowned; the man hadn't been by in a week, and that was the first thing he had to say to him? To criticize his dining habits? Dick didn't get to reply before Jason moved into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets and the fridge.

"What're you looking for?" Dick asked. Jason cursed. He moved back into the living room and glared at Dick.

"Good god, Dick. How do you function?" Jason asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Dick arched an eyebrow, flashing a confused look.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, the majority of your food is either take out or frozen dinners. How are you _alive_? And not to mention, almost every time I've been over, you've been eating take out." Dick stared at him, dumbfounded. Where had this come from?

"Get your ass dressed. We're going shopping and I'll cook you an actual meal. Not something you pop into the microwave," Jason said smoothly, pulling his jacket back on. Dick sat there in silence with the fork sticking out of his mouth, dazed and confused. What was even happening right now?

-o-o-O-o-o-

Jason and Dick strode down the aisles of the local supermarket, Jason carrying a basket because he 'didn't trust Dick to shop for himself'. They bickered a little bit on the way down to the supermarket, taking Dick's car down there. Dick was still a little stunned by what had happened back at his apartment, but when pressed, Jason simply responded 'because you clearly can't take care of yourself.'

In all honestly, it felt kind of nice to do something so mundane with Jason, but the whole time so far that they were here, he couldn't help but feel this...strange feeling in his stomach. It wasn't bad, but rather, it was good. Happy even.

"You're hopeless," Jason muttered with a smirk, grabbing a a few things off of the shelf and tossing them into the basket. Dick frowned at the comment, but really, he could hear ateasing edge in Jason's tone.

"Yeah, and why's that?" Dick asked. Jason snorted, flashing the man a grin.

"You're really gonna ask me that after I caught you eating take out, again? Can you even cook?" Jason asked. Dick huffed a little bit, barely holding back the smile that was tugging at the corners of his lips. He found himself smiling a lot around Jason lately...

"I can. I just don't feel like it. Sometimes," Dick replied sheepishly, to which Jason laughed, glancing over at the acrobat.

"Sometimes? Try more like, all the time Dickie-bird. Literally every time I've come over, you're either eating cereal, take out, or some frozen TV dinner. How do you even stay in shape, eating all that tasteless crap?" Jason teased. Dick playfully shoved the man with his hip.

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No, but you keep eating junk and those flips will get a bit harder to pull off." Dick snorted with held back laughter as they continued shopping. They swung by the refrigerated aisle to pick up some steaks, then the produce aisle to grab some fresh vegetables. All the while, Dick was curious as to what Jason was planning to cook. And then he grabbed a couple bottles of wine, and Dick blushed crimson. Why wine? His mind started scrambling because wine seemed...romantic...? The rest of their little shopping spree was a blur as Dick's mind was lost in a haze of confusion and emotion. Why was this even an issue?! It was just wine?! And why was he blushing?!

Shit. Dick came to the realization that perhaps, Alfred was right...

When they got back to the apartment, Jason ushered Dick into the living room and out of his way while he cooked. Dick shucked off his jacket and sunk onto the couch, turning on the TV.

"I didn't know you could cook, Jaybird," Dick called with a smile. Jason snorted from the kitchen as he grabbed things from the paper shopping bags.

"You'd be surprised. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with Alfred. I know my way around a frying pan," Jason called back. Dick chuckled to himself as he turned his attention back to the TV, content to let Jason cook. In all honestly, he'd never eaten Jason's cooking and now his interest was piqued.

Time flew by before Jason called him into the kitchen. Dick pushed himself up off of the couch and made his way into the kitchen, pausing by the kitchen table as he beheld what it was Jason had cooked. On the table, sat two plates of delicious smelling steak, covered in steak sauce with sides of broccoli, and baked potatoes, cut in half with garlic butter inside them, with two simple glasses of wine beside each plate. In the center of the table was a small bowl of stuffed mushrooms. Jason sat at the table and gestured for Dick to sit.

"Now this is a real meal. Sink your teeth into it and be amazed at what actual food tastes like,"Jason teased, grinning pridefully. Dick sat at the table and grabbed a fork and knife. He cut into the steak and looked it over a bit. He glanced over at Jason to see the man staring at him, waiting. Dick smiled a bit and took a bite.

"Oh. Oh my god, Jay, this is _fantastic_!" Dick exclaimed, savoring the taste as he turned it over on his tongue. Jason's face was split by a grin as he gestured toward the potatoes.

"Give 'em a taste," he said. Dick picked up the half baked potato and bit into it; another exaggerated 'mmm' sound escaped past his lips.

"Oh wow, Jaybird, your cooking is amazing!" Dick said again, grabbing a stuffed mushroom. Jason found himself staring at Dick, his grin turning in a warm smile. And his face starting to heat up a little bit at Dick's enthusiasm.

"Jay? Something wrong?" Dick asked, stabbing at a piece of steak. Jason shook his head, stirred from his reverie and fighting a blush. He turned to his meal and jabbed at a piece of broccoli.

"No, just enjoying you enjoying my cooking. You're such a dork," Jason teased. Dick chuckled and swallowed another bite.

"I'm serious Jason. You've been holding out on me, this is great. And you learned this from Alfred?" Dick asked, popping another stuffed mushroom into his mouth. Jason smirked and nodded.

"Yeah," he replied simply. "But don't get used to it. I was just tired of seeing you gorge on garbage. Honestly, it's amazing you can function with that crap you call 'food'," Jason added, stabbing at his steak again.

The rest of the meal was mostly quiet, save for a bit of banter here or there. Soon, their plates were cleaned and the glasses were empty, and still they sat there for a little while longer.

"Thank you Jason, really. That was delicious," Dick said, giving Jason a warm smile. Jason found himself blushing, despite hie best efforts to conceal his reaction. He'd had an opportunity to talk to Roy and Kori again recently, and they kept insisting that there was something there between he and Dick. It was only now, in this moment, did he start seriously wondering if...maybe they were right? Jason glanced over at Dick who was petting Ace with one of the happiest smiles on his face he'd ever seen. Jason swallowed hard; that school boy crush, those butterflies in his stomach, and that racing heart beat, it was all back in full force. He didn't know what to do, what to say, how to react. Suddenly, he felt like a damn goofy teenager around Dick again.

"Good boy, Ace," Dick said, patting the dog's head. Ace retreated into the bedroom and Dick sat up right in his chair again.

"I have to say, Jason-" Dick began as he turned to face Jason. Shock dominated his features, his eyes wide in surprise as he felt a pair of lips, Jason's lips, pressed against his own. Dick's face flushed crimson as he sat there, stunned. His first through was how this wasn't how he expected Jason to kiss. The kiss was soft and gentle, slow and almost...affectionate. His mind sputtered as he tried to make sense of this; why was _that_ his first thought?! His first thought should have been _'why is Jason kissing me?'_ But Dick didn't break the kiss, couldn't, because he _liked_ it...and it felt _right_. But as suddenly as it started, Jason pulled away quickly.

Dick opened his eyes, too into the kiss to realize he'd even closed them, and saw nothing but panic and embarrassment on Jason's face. He didn't know what to say; he felt like he should say something, but...but what?!

"Jason," Dick said softly, but before he could get another word out, Jason fled, grabbing his jacket and fleeing out the window. Dick sat their, dumbfounded, staring after the man. He didn't know what just happened, but he knew now without a doubt that he _was in love with Jason Todd._


	7. Chapter 7

A few days had passed as Dick tried to find and talk to Jason, but to no avail. The man seemed to be actively avoiding him. Jason had kissed him, and now he was running from him. It was all a bit confusing, but they _needed_ to talk. Alas, no matter where Dick looked, he couldn't find Jason.

By the forth day, Dick found himself at the manor, sitting at the kitchen island with his chin on his hand, talking to Alfred about it. He could always count on Alfred to lend him his ear.

"I mean, I don't get it, Alfred. He kissed me, and then took off! Just like that! And now I think he's avoiding me! I can't find him anywhere," Dick said with an exasperated sigh. Alfred turned and slid a cup of tea across the kitchen island to Dick.

"There you are Master Richard; Earl Gray Tea, your favorite," Alfred said evenly. Dick flashed him a smile and sipped his tea, making an 'mmm' sound.

"Wait, hold the phone. Jason kissed you?!" came Tim's voice. Dick and Alfred looked toward the entrance to the kitchen to see Tim standing there, looking dumbfounded. Dick frowned at him and Tim fidgeted a little under his gaze.

"It's rude to eavesdrop," Dick said calmly. Tim smirked and gave a shrug of his shoulders as he hopped up on the stool beside Dick.

"Sorry. It's a habit," Tim replied. Dick chuckled in amusement and ruffled Tim's hair playfully.  
"Can't imagine where you picked that one up," Dick said, rolling his eyes. Tim grinned from ear to ear, accepting a cup of tea from Alfred.

"Frankly, you can do much better than Todd, Grayson. I don't know what you see in that mess of a human being," Damian muttered, entering the kitchen. Dick glanced over at Damian and frowned a bit.

"Have you ever considered complimenting people without the backhanded comments?" Dick snickered. Damian snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"People need to hear the truth from time to time. Call it tough love," Damian retorted. Tim leaned over and spoke softly to Dick.

"I'm pretty sure the only thing Damian loves is himself."

"I heard that Drake! Don't make me come over there and snap your neck!" Damian called.

"Yeah, if you can reach that high," Tim shot back. Dick sighed and scrubbed his face with his hand.

"You two _really_ need to learn to get a long," Dick said with an exasperated sigh and a tired smile. Dick turned in his seat, getting ready to leave after saying his goodbyes, when Bruce stopped him, pushing a tablet into his hands. Dick, confused, took the tablet and looked down at it; he saw Jason there, pacing in the living room of one of his safe houses. Also there were Roy and Lian.

"Uh-"

"Jason is down in a safe house in the Bowery. A warehouse Apartment down near Crime Alley," Bruce said evenly. Dick looked up at Bruce, a little dumbfounded before handing the tablet back.

"Thanks Bruce," Dick said with a smile, giving the man a hug. "But wait, when did you-"

"About a week ago. I tracked down his safe houses and bugged them. I-"

"Wanted to make sure he was safe? Look Bruce, you should get rid of those cameras. You want Jason to trust you, right? Installing cameras in people's homes is not a good way to do that," Dick said with a laugh. Bruce gave a curt nod but said nothing more. Dick smiled brightly, bidding goodbye to Alfred, Tim, and Damian, before making his way out the door.

-o-o-O-o-o-

Jason paced back and forth, hands carding through his hair. Lian was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons while Jason and Roy sat at the kitchen table, talking. Jason had called Roy on day 4 to talk, maybe ask for some advice or...something! Roy came over as soon as he could, and now here they were.

"So you kissed Dick. Big deal," Roy said with a smirk, waving his hand dismissively. Jason glared at him, feeling the urge to jump over the table and smack that smirk off his face.

"What do you mean 'big deal'? I don't even know why I did it, I just...did! It's...I...fuck!" Jason growled, words failing him at the moment as he scrubbed his face with his hands. Roy watched in amusement, watched as his best friend fell over that precipice all over again; he saw this coming, knew what it was about, but waited to see if Jason could figured it out. Jason seemed to have picked up on his silence and the smug grin on his face and glared at him.

"No, Roy, don't even. I do not love Dick Grayson," Jason growled. Roy snorted, followed by a laugh that he couldn't contain. Jason glared at him, almost wishing he had something to throw at him. Roy finally stopped laughing then straightened up a bit, heaving a sigh.

"Jason, I already told you, you still have the hots for Dick," Roy said with a smirk. "Think about it, why else would you kiss him?"

"Uh, the wine?" Jason replied easily, blushing a bit and crossing his arms over his chest. Roy tried not to laugh, but he did. That was a poor excuse and even Jason knew it.

"Yeah, explain the blush then, Jaybird. Face it, you're like a lovesick puppy," Roy teased. Jason jumped out of his chair and slammed his hands on the table; he tried to look pissed, but that blush n his face only intensified and killed any kind of anger he was trying to portray.

"Roy, for the love of-"

"Uncle Jay? Daddy? Is everything okay?" Lian asked, hugging her teddy bear as she came into the kitchen to check on the noise. Jason turned to Lian and flashed her a smile, but Roy was on it first. He knelt down in front of his duaghter and ruffled her hair.

"We're okay sweetheart. Daddy is just teasing Uncle Jay," Roy said, flashing a grin at Jason. Jason just shot him a glare.

"Oh. Is it 'cuz Uncle Jay likes Uncle D?" Lian asked, and Jason's face took on an even redder shade. Roy snorted with barely contained laughter and ushered his daughter back into the living room.

"Something like that. Go watch cartoons, okay sweetheart? Uncle Jay and Daddy need to talk a little more, and then I'll take you to the park, okay?"

"Okay!" Lian chortled, hopping up on the couch. Roy smiled and turned back to Jason, sitting back down at the kitchen table. Jason was still glaring at him, so finally, he raised his hands defensively.

"What? She started asking questions! I wasn't gonna lie to her!" Roy replied. Jason groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. This was a mess and he was too embarrassed to show his face to Dick. And he knew that Bruce somehow knew, which meant another lecture. And he'd likely hear it from Barbara and Tim, _again_.

"Listen, Jay, you need to stop running from this. As your best friend, I'm telling you, you need to talk to Dick," Roy said this time without a hint of tease. Jason looked at him, expression softening. He growled and shook his head, pushing himself away from the table. He started pacing and shaking his head.

"No. No, that...I can't. Even if I...wanted...something with...with Dick," Jason began, face slowly heating up again as he struggled with the words "he's...there's _no way_ he's interested in guys, okay?!" Roy opened his mouth to speak, but Jason cut him off. "Zatanna, Barbara, Kori, Helena Bertinelli, just to name a few."

Roy opened and closed his mouth, looking like a fish out of water. He tried to recall any guy Dick had had a thing for, but not a one came to mind. Roy finally gave a shrug.

"Well, maybe you're unique?" Roy suggested. Jason stared at him, dumbfounded for a few seconds. Finally he shook his head and face-plamed.

"I'm 'unique'? That's the best you've got? Ugh, how are we friends again?" Jason asked with a groan, to which Roy just laughed. Roy pushed himself up from the table and padded over toward Jason. He gently wrapped his arm around Jason's shoulders and Jason glanced over at him questioningly.

"Look, Jason, I get it. You're afraid to let someone else in," Jason snorted and tried to break away from Roy, but Roy held him in place "but listen, you can't hide yourself away forever. I know you, you're my best damn friend in the whole damn world. Hell, we dated a little bit during our Outlaw days."

"Please, I'd hardly call that 'dating'. We didn't really do anything we wouldn't normally do; going out, getting drunk, and pummeling douche bags," Jason said flatly. Roy snickered but waved it off.

"Point is, I know you're scared—and don't try to deny it, I know you—but you need to give this a shot. Worst case scenario, Dick says he's not interested, although I suspect he is," Roy answered, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning like an idiot. Jason arched an eyebrow at him and pushed the man away from him.

"No."

"Jason-"

"No, it's not happening," Jason replied, heading out of the kitchen with Roy following after him.

"Will you at least talk-" Roy called, trying to convince Jason to at least talk to Dick, but a knock at the door interrupted them. Jason breathed a sigh of relief for the interruption and padded over to the door.

"Yeah, what do you-" Jason began, pulling open the door to find Dick Grayson, standing there in civilian clothes with a stupid smile on his stupid face.

"Hi Jason," Dick said smoothly.

"No," Jason said evenly with a glare for added effect before slamming the door shut on his face. He stormed back inside the apartment and threw himself down into the arm chair. Roy smirked and made for the door and Jason glared after him.

"Roy-"

"Relax Jason, this is for your own good," Roy interrupted, opening the door and inviting Dick inside.

"Roy, so help me god, I will fucking kill you!" Jason growled as Dick entered the apartment. Lian's eyes fell upon Dick, and she smiled brightly, jumping off the couch and rushing to him.

"Uncle D!" She shouted happily. Dick laughed and knelt down, holding his arms out wide. Lian jumped into his arms and he lifted her up with a laugh.

"Hey sweetheart, good to see you!" Dick said to her. Lian wrapped her little arms around his neck and hugged him again.

"Uncle D! Uncle D! So good to see you!" she repeated Dick's words. Dick placed her back down onto the floor and she grabbed his fingers and tried to drag him into the licing room.

"Daddy says you and Uncle Jay have to talk," She said, pushing him onto the couch. Jason got up and attempted to leave, but Roy blocked the door, shaking his head. Jason grabbed the front of his shirt in both hands and growled at him.

"Roy, I swear to god-"

"Jason, I'm doing you a favor. You'll thank me later," Roy said smoothly, unperturbed. Jason closed his eyes and released his friend, taking a deep breath and counting backward from ten.

"I hate you."

"No, you love me," Roy replied with a snicker of amusement as he danced around Jason. "Lian, princess, let's go to the park. Uncle D and Uncle Jay need to talk in private, okay?" Roy called. Lian nodded and pulled her shoes back on, hugging Dick again.

"'Kay daddy. Bye Uncle D," she said, then bounced over to Jason and hugged his leg. "Bye Uncle Jay!" she said, then went over to her father and took his hand, and there the two of them went, right out the door. Dick and Jason were left to their own devices, and there they sat...in silence.

"Jason, we need to talk," Dick finally said, managing to peel his eyes off of the coffee table to look t Jason. Jason looked over at Dick and snorted.

"There's nothing to talk about," Jason replied curtly. Dick frowned a bit, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.

"Jason, you kissed me. I think that's something to talk about," Dick pointed out with a hint of tease, a little smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Jason blushed a little but refused to look at Dick.

"That was nothing. It was the wine," Jason replied evenly. He flinched when he felt a hand on his knee, finally looking in Dick's direction. And there it was; that gorgeous, warm smile that used to make his stomach do backflips. That face he wanted to punch sometimes, but also...lips he wanted to kiss. He felt his face start to heat up again and he looked away, trying to look uninterested.

"Jason. I've had a lot of time to think lately, and well...the others kind of helped me see something I didn't realize myself at first," Dick began a little nervously. He started to blush, but he didn't hide it. He wanted Jason to see it, to see his every reaction. He wanted Jason to see what he did to him by just... _being_. "I want _you_ , Jason. I want...I want there to be an... _us_." Dick frowned at his own words; he could do better than that and he knew it, but the words he wanted to use were...he wasn't entirely sure yet if those words were accurate. These were entirely new feelings for someone he'd always thought of as a little brother. "I like you, Jason. A lot," Dick finally said, pulling away from the other man.

Jason was silent as Dick spoke, though inwardly, he was freaking out. Roy, it seemed, was right. Dick really seemed into him. But the street rat in him screamed at him not to trust him, not to let him in, to push him away and keep his heart to himself. And god, the other part of him wanted to much to kiss that stupid fucking smile on his stupid fucking face.

"Why me?" Jason finally managed, looking over at Dick. He had to know. He was a screw up, a street rat, and a complete mess. And yet Dick, the Golden Boy, the "Prince of Gotham", wanted him. Why?

Dick smiled and scooted a little closer on the couch toward Jason, letting his fingers ghost over Jason's. Jason felt his heart beat a little faster at the contact, but made no move to break it.

"It's...true that I've never been with a man before," Dick began, clearing his throat as he sought out the right words for this in his mind "but you...you're so passionate about everything you do. You'd sacrifice yourself in a heart beat to protect the people you love, to protect others, even if they wouldn't do the same for you. And yeah, I might not like how you do things, but you do them because you care," Dick said, his smile growing wider as he spoke. "And I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I find you rather attractive." Dick's face turned crimson, but he held Jason's gaze nonetheless.

Jason stared at him as he spoke, dumbfounded. That wasn't really how he saw himself, but what confused him, was that Dick saw those things in him. He opened his mouth in an attempt to reply, but Dick kept on going, praising him.

"Plus you've got a beautiful smile," Dick went on, fidgeting nervously "and your laugh, it's like music. When you've been coming over to my apartment, I just feel so happy. And when you're gone, I wish you'd come back. So I can see your smile, and hear your laugh and..." Dick scooted a little closer until his side was pressed against the armrest of the couch. "...and kiss your lips. And feel your skin under my fingers. You make me happy, Jason. Just being near you-"

"Stop," Jason said firmly. Dick shut his mouth, flashing a confused look. Had he done something wrong. Jason ground his teeth and shook his head, locking his eyes with Dick's. He pushed himself up off of the couch and paced across the living room, carding his hands through his hair. "Just, sop Dick. Stop fucking praising me. Stop...just...fuck!" Jason cursed, scrubbing his face with his hands.

"Jason," Dick said softly, but Jason held up a hand to stop him.

"Dick, I'm not any of those things, okay? I'm a mess, a screw up, a street rat. I don't...do this...emotional crap, okay?" Jason said to him, pacing again. Dick got to his feet, but when Jason turned again, he held out his hand to stop him again. "No, Dick. This is a mistake. I'm...I've done things...I'm not who you think I am and I never will be, so stop pretending to see shit that isn't there."

Dick's heart broke a little to hear Jason speak of himself so poorly. He ignored the other's warnings and moved closer to him anyway.

"Jason...I know what you've done, and I don't care. The sex, the drug dealing, the stealing, you did all of that to survive, to help your mother," Dick said. Jason looked up at him in shock, backing away from him.

"W-what?! Y-you know about...all of that?" Jason asked. "How?"

"I read your file. On Bruce's computer years ago. When you were still Robin. It doesn't matter-"

"It does, Dick," Jason growled angrily. He stomped toward Dick and jabbed him in the chest with his finger. "You read my file, big deal. That doesn't mean you know me. People only use you to get what they want, whether that's sex, money, or...whatever. I can't-"

"Let me in?" Dick asked with a smile, moving a little closer. Jason sputtered and backed away from him. "Jason, I fell in love with the man I got to know. The person I got to train with, fight with, hang out with, that's the person I was describing. All of that and more is there, even if _you_ don't see it."

"Dick, just stop," Jason growled.

"I'm not like the rest of those people, Jason. I won't hurt you-"

"Bullshit. Everyone does, whether they mean to or not."

"What about Roy?"Dick asked, quirking an eyebrow. Jason opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to think of a response.

"I...I trust him," Jason said lowly. He growled and shook his head, pointing to the door. "God _dammit_ Dick! Just fucking go! Get out!" But Dick didn't make any move to leave. He moved closer to Jason, even as the younger man flinched away from him.

"Did I fucking stutter? I said go!" But Dick didn't leave. He moved toward Jason and pressed his lips against the younger man's. Jason stood there, dumbfounded yet again. He felt paralyzed, like he couldn't move, not sure how to react. The kiss was soft, gentle, not unlike how Roy used to kiss him.

Dick pulled away from him when Jason didn't respond, his face tinted pink. He cursed himself mentally, wondering if he screwed up. Jason didn't move, didn't say a word, just stood there, staring. Dick, crestfallen, gestured for the door.

"I'm sorry Jason. I'll just-" Dick began, but a pair of lips against his own silenced him. The kiss was fierce, and yet somehow still affectionate. Jason grabbed his arms and kissed him hard. He felt fingers dip underneath his shirt a bit, felt them backing up. When Jason pulled away, a little breathless, he glared at Dick.

"This is a fucking mistake," he said flatly. Dick smiled from ear to ear.

"Already made plenty of those. But you're not one of them," Dick replied. Jason rolled his eyes and snorted.

"God you're fucking sappy. You-" Jason said, his sentence drowned out as Dick's lips crashed against his again. The back of Dick's knees hit the couch and together the two of them fell onto it, parting briefly, before Jason captured Dick's lips again. There was a flurry of movement, hands pushing up underneath shirts, touch skin, lips melting together, hips grinding. Little pants and moans filled the room as Jason ground himself down against Dick, their clothed erections grinding against one another.

Jason found himself consumed by lust and...something else...something...new...he didn't know, and in his current state, he didn't care. He reached down between them and unzipped his jeans, pulling his cock out and stroking himself in a tight grip as he continued kissing Dick.

"Need – nngh – more...God...fuck, Jay," Dick whimpered underneath him as a knee ground against his crotch. Dick glanced down to see Jason pumping himself. He blushed crimson, then smiled at him, kissing him back.

"Look what you did to me, Grayson," Jason breathed, moaning low in his throat as he felt Dick's hand working over the head of his cock. "Fuck," Jason growled, burying his face in the crook of Dick's neck. He groaned, the sound muffled against Dick's shoulder, when he heard the sound of another zipper. He chanced a glance down and moaned low in his throat at the feeling of skin against skin. Dick had both of their erections in his hand, pumping them both in a tight grip. Jason kissed Dick hungrily, hands grabbing the armrest behind Dick's head. He pulled himself forward, pushing his cock against Dick's, into the man's hand, creating a delicious friction that tore a lewd moan from Dick's throat.

Grunts and groans filled the room, along with the sound of kissing, lips melting together perfectly. Jason slid his tongue into the other's mouth, exploring, tasting. Dick opened wide, invitingly, and kiss back, his free hand clutching desperately at Jason's back.

"Fuck – aangh – Jay! I-I'm gonna-"

"Nng, m-me too. Dickie! I-" Jason let out a broken moan as he thrust one final time into Dick's hand and came, _hard_. His slammed his eyes shut and he saw stars explode in the darkness as he came. His arms started to shake as he held himself up, Dick still pumping them both, hand slick with cum. Jason used the arm rest again to pull himself forward, grinding against Dick.

"C'mon Dickie, cum for me," Jason whispered, nipping at his neck. Dick let out a strangled cry as he came, and Jason sighed contentedly and collapsed on top of him. The two of them lay their, exhausted. Dick wrapped his arms around Jason and kissed his cheek. Jason turned and captured Dick's lips in a slow, sweet kiss.

"Fuck," Jason muttered breathlessly.

"Fuck," Dick agreed with a weak smile. The two of them lay there, chest-to-chest, feeling each other's heartbeats begin to slow down again. The room had fallen into silence, save for their heavy breathing. Finally, it was Jason who broke the silence.

"I suppose we can give...us...a try," Jason said softly. Dick smiled brightly and kissed Jason again. "But we need to clean up first. I'm too classy to run around covered in cum."

And Dick burst into laughter.


	8. Chapter 8

Dick and Jason's relationship seemed to be doing well. Jason was visiting Dick's apartment in Bludhaven in increasing frequency, to the point of spending days and nights at a time there. What was more, was that more and more criminals were also surviving the Red Hood's wrath; Jason was toning down the violence. He still killed, but he saved that for, in his own words, 'the absolute trash of humanity'.  
In this past few weeks, Dick got to learn quite a bit more about Jason. His taste in literature, for example, was quite varied. He read everything from William Shakespeare to Eoin Colfer, to J.R.R Tolkien. Even all these years later, Jason was still a bit of a bookworm, and frankly, Dick found it adorable.

As a gift, Dick bought Jason a bookshelf for their apartment, sparing no expense and building it himself while the man was out on 'a job' with Roy. He had been a little concerned at first, but he trusted both Jason and Roy.  
Dick had spent most of the afternoon putting together the bookshelf; a vintage Danish Teak Wood Bookshelf to be precise. He'd even bought and stocked it with all the books he knew of that Jason loved. When the man got home and saw it, he was grateful indeed. So much in fact, that they had sex right then and there on the living room couch. Dick took that as a definite sign that Jason loved it.

The downside to all of this was that Bruce avoided coming over to the apartment anymore. Dick knew why, but he still felt compelled to ask. Bruce didn't want to get int between him and Jason, nor throw the life they were building into chaos. Dick would have preferred the two of them stop avoiding each other and talk shit out; he didn't want to have to choose between either of them. He made a mental note to work on that, but not now, not when things seemed to be going to well.

It was a warm, sunny Friday afternoon in Bludhaven and Jason was stretched out on the couch reading _As You Like It_ by William Shakespeare. Dick was stretched out on top of Jason, napping peacefully with his head tucked underneath Jason's chin, one arm dangling off the couch and the other wrapped around Jason. It made it a little harder to read, but Jason managed to well enough. However, a knock at the door threatened to ruin the scene. Jason glanced down at Dick but the man barely stirred at all. He mumbled, shifting a little bit on top of him, but otherwise, he was still fast asleep.

"Come in," Jason called, glancing back down at Dick to see if woke, but still, the man slept on. Jason turned his attention back to the book, even as the door came open. Ace barked a few times, then rushed to the door to greet the visitor. Jason turned his head as much as he could, to see Barbara coming through the front door.

"Dick, I-" Barbara stopped dead in her tracks and gaped at the scene before her, closing the door quietly with her foot. She tiptoed quietly into the living room and cooed at the sight. "Aawwww, that's so adorable!" She whispered. Jason glanced up at her briefly before turning his attention back to his book. Barbara quietly dug through her purse for her phone and snapped a picture. Jason's head shot up at the flash and glared at her.

"Hey!" he growled lowly. Barbara giggled and held the phone up above her head, wagging her finger at him.

"Uh uh uh. You don't want to wake Dick up, do you?" Jason glared at her and huffed, turning his attention back to his book. Barbara made herself comfortable in the arm chair nearby, crossing her legs and patting Ace after the puppy jumped up into her lap. "Sorry, Dick asked my to come by earlier," Barbara explained. Jason just glanced over at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I heard. I was there," Jason replied casually before turning back to his book. Barbara was a bit taken aback by that, but more than that, her curiosity was piqued.

"You were here? As in...all day?" she asked, arching an auburn brow. Jason glanced over at her from his book again and smirked, amused.

"Yes, all day."

Barbara leaned forward in her chair, he expression serious.  
"Have you thought about moving in with him?" she asked. Jason immediately bookmarked his page and closed his book, looking at her as if she had three heads.

"What?" he asked incredulously. "You realize we've only been dating for like, three weeks, right?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow, keeping his voice low to avoid waking Dick up. Barbara giggled softly and wagged her finger at him

"Actually, Dick's told me you haven't gone any any dates yet," she answered, to which Jason blushed a bit. "But that's beside the point. Jason, you've been spending an awful lot of time over here," she pointed out, nodding toward Dick "and you know how he feels about you. It wouldn't be too much of a leap to move in with him at this point."

Jason opened his mouth to speak, when Dick began to stir. The man stretched his legs and arms a little, uncoiling himself, slowly, from around Jason. He gave a tired little groan, followed by a yawn and the first sight he was met with, was Jason. Dick looked up at him through tired, half-lidded eyes and smiled, kissing Jason's lips softly.

"Hey Little Wing," Dick murmured. Barbara cleared her throat, drawing his attention to her. Dick glanced over, yawning again as he pushed himself up, shifting on the couch so he wasn't sitting on Jason. The other pulled his legs up a bit to give Dick some room. Dick gave another yawn and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Babs, hey," Dick muttered, stretching his arms a bit more. Barbara giggled a bit.

"Hey there sleeping beauty," she replied, making Dick grin and blush. "Did we wake you up?" she asked. Dick yawned again and combed his hair back into place with his hand.

"Nah," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Sorry for the poor reception. I must've fallen asleep," Dick added with a tired smile. Barbara giggled and flashed the picture she captured on her phone.

"No worries, it was all worth it," she replied. Dick blushed a little in response, laughing nervously.

"Thanks for coming, Babs. It's good to see you," Dick said with a smile. Barbara giggled and waved her hand.

"Sweet talk isn't going to make me delete the picture, Dick," she replied sweetly, earning a laugh from Dick.

"Why are you here anyway?" Jason asked, finally setting his book aside. Barbara was about to explain until she caught sight of the book Jason had been reading. She gasped, and Jason realized what she'd discovered; both of them made a play for the book, but Barbara won, snatching it out of reach.

"My, my, Jason, what's this?" she asked in a teasing tone, flashing the book cover to him. "A Shakespearean Romance novel? I didn't know you were a romantic," she added with a teasing grin. Jason frowned, blushing a little.

"It's a good book," he muttered. Dick chuckled in amusement, wrapping his arm around the man's shoulders and pressing a kiss to his head.

"I think it's adorable. And you know, Jason can actually be quite romantic," Dick said sweetly, making Jason blush and even darker shade of red.

"Okay, okay. You got me; I'm a secret romantic! Can I have my book back now?" Jason asked, shooting Barbara a glare. She laughed and handed the book back.

"Anyway, here you are, Dick, as you asked," Barbara said with a smile, handing Dick a flash drive, Dick took the drive and pocketed it.

"Thanks Babs, I appreciate it!" Dick replied, giving her a hug. Barbara giggled a bit and returned the gesture.

"Anytime, Wonder Boy," she answered.

"What's that?" Jason asked, referring to the flash drive.

"Oh, I just asked Barbara to help with an investigation," Dick answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"A local Millionaire who runs a crime enterprise in Gotham from here," Barbara said with a grin. "I might be Batgirl again, but I'm still Oracle too. He hid his dirt well, but I found it." Jason nodded in response and flashed her a smirk.

"Still quite the bad ass, I see. Where would we be without you?" Jason said. Barbara laughed and tossed her hair back.

"Mhm, you're damn right. And you'd probably all be hopelessly lost without me," she answer pridefully, but also with a teasing edge. "Well, it was nice to see you guys, but-"

"Babs wait. There's no need for it to be all business," Dick said with a smile. "Why not join us for dinner? You should try Jason's cooking; it's fantastic!" Dick glanced over at Jason hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously."Er...that is, if you don't mind cooking, Jaybird?"

Jason frowned at being 'volunteered' to cook dinner, but Barbara looked intrigued.

"Jason can cook? Oh, this I need to see! And well, taste! Do you mind?" she asked sweetly. Jason's frown deepened a bit and he crossed his arms over his chest, remaining silent. The two of them faltered a bit, until finally, Jason grinned.

"Sure, why not."

-o-o-O-o-o-

"Oh my god!" Barbara exclaimed between bites, pointing at her dinner. "This is amazing! Oh my god, you're almost as good as Alfred!" Jason grinned pridefully at her compliments of his cooking. He'd made Oven-Roasted Greek Potatoes with roast chicken breast and broccoli. Both Dick and Barbara seemed to enjoy it immensely.

"Thanks, glad you like it," Jason replied, stabbing at his meal. "Almost as good as Alfred might be a bit too generous though," Jason added with a grin. Barbara leaned over to Dick and touched his shoulder.

"Dick, this man can cook a hell of a meal, latch on and never let go," Barbara said to him with a playful smile. Dick chuckled in amusement as he ate a bite of potato. Jason just grinned at him and winked, making him blush a little.

"Please Barbara, shush! You'll inflate is already enlarged ego," Dick said with a little laugh. Dick flushed at his choice of words when he saw the predatory look on Jason's face. "Shut up Jason," he snapped teasingly. Barbara just laughed in response.

The three of them finished their meal, talking, joking, and trading banter the whole while. Jason had been more quiet than he usually was but Dick didn't want to disturb him; he seemed to be in thought most of the time.

Once dinner was over, they talked a little bit more before Barbara declared it was time for her to leave.

"Thanks guys, I really enjoyed this," she said with a smile, waving Dick over for a hug. He smiled, happily obliging. She turned to Jason then, still smiling as she waved him over. "C'mon Jaybird, I'm not going anywhere until I get a hug," She said. Jason frowned a little but ultimately surrendered and gave her a hug too. "Alright, I'll see you guys soon," she said, making for the door.

"Let's do this again Babs, okay?" Dick called after her. She smiled brightly at him and waved.

"Count on it!" And out the door she went. Barbara made her way down the hallway, making it to the staircase before she heard the apartment door again. Curious, she glanced back to see Jason heading her way. She waited for a moment, wondering what he wanted.

"Hey Babs, you got a minute?" Jason asked. Barbara shrugged.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked, leaning against the railing. Jason was silent for a moment, fidgeting in place, his face heating up a little. He'd been thinking about what she said earlier; about not having been on an actual date with Dick yet. He thought that, maybe, it was time to change that? There would be a problem with the press, but he figured Dick would be worth the trouble. He hadn't actually been legally brought back from the dead yet either.

"I, uh...I need some...advice," Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Barbara smiled a little and arched a brow.

"Well, you'll need to be more specific," she replied. Jason shifted in place a bit, his face tinting pink. He cleared his throat.

"Dating advice," he said, and Barbara grinned at him. "I don't know what to do. I'm not exactly good at...emotional...stuff," Jason went on, finding it hard to find the words he needed. "I mean, for god's sake, Dick tells me he loves me all the time, and I can't even fucking say it back!" Jason growled, frustrated. Barbara wanted to tease him, but decided against it; she could see this was difficult for him and teasing would most certainly not help.

"Well, Dick is easy to please, you know," she replied simply. "He enjoys the simple things and just being with you, spending time with you, that's enough." Jason snorted and rolld his eyes.

"Right, I forgot he's hopelessly sappy and romantic like that," he said flatly, earning a laugh from Barbara.

"Look, it doesn't matter what you do, the point is, is as long as you put your heart into it, he's going to enjoy it," she told him, patting his arm soothingly. Jason didn't answer, just gave a nod in response. "And saying 'I love you' is always hard," she added, referring to his other problem. Jason shook his head.

"It's not just hard, Barbara. I've spent a good chunk of my life pushing people away and keeping them at a distance. Whenever he tells me he loves me, I freeze. I want to say it back, but...I just can't. It's not fair to him, Babs, and he always looks so sad when I don't." Jason said with a frustrated sigh, raking a hand through his hair. Barbara wasn't exactly sure what to say to him.

"You'll say it when you're ready," she offered, to which he scoffed.

"Yeah, he says the same thing all the time."

" _Do_ you love him?" she asked. Jason gave a nod.

"Yeah."

"Then trust me when I say, you'll say it when you're ready," she answered. Jason huffed in annoyance at hearing that again, prompting Barbara to giggle a bit. She patted the sighed of his face and smiled. "Relax. No one said relationships were easy." Jason snorted.

"Yeah, no shit, I'm starting to get that," he said flatly. Barbara snickered in amusement and started going down the stairs.

"Alright Jay, you and Dickie take care. I've got to get going now. Bye," she called back.

"Bye," he answered, making his way back to the apartment. When he came through the door, Dick looked up at him from the couch curiously.

"Everything alright Jaybird?" Dick asked. Jason gave a nod and padded across the living room, flopping down onto the couch.

"Yeah, everything's fine, relax Big Bird," Jason answered casually, as ideas for dates started playing through his head. They turned their attention to the movie, which was interrupted by 'Breaking News'.

"Breaking News; we have a developing situation at Arkham Asylum in Gotham City. The Joker has reportedly broken out, but instead of escaping, he appears to have taken control of the Asylum. Authorities have arrived on the scene-"

"That fucking clown," Jason growled, glaring at the TV as he got to his feet. His fists clenched at his sides, his anger rising. Dick wrapped an arm around his shoulder and petted his arm soothingly to calm him down.

"No, let Bruce handle this. He's dealt with worse. He can handle this by himself," Dick said, eyeing Jason warily as he assumed what the man must've been thinking. The mere sight of the clown made Jason see red and he was a little afraid of what the man might do, honestly.

"No, you can stay here. I'm going," Jason said lowly, heading for the bedroom where he'd put his gear last night. Dick followed after him.

"Jason, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Dick called after him.

"Yeah. I am," Jason replied, pulling on his jacket and then his helmet, grabbing up both his hand guns.

"Jason," Dick said softly, stepping closer to the man. He flinched when Jason spun around, his stance aggressive.

"Don't 'Jason' me! The clown is dead this time," Jason growled. Dick bit his lip; he knew he needed to stop him, but he didn't want to hurt him either. "You were never killed by him. You don't hear his laugh in your head when you close your eyes," Jason growled lowly, his expression concealed by his helmet. "You don't know what it's like to see his face in the back of your mind, every times your eyes fall onto a crowbar." Jason didn't offer anything else, fleeing out the window before Dick could react.

Dick wanted to say that he _did_ know. He wanted to tell Jason that the Joker had left his mark on him too, when he attacked his circus family and killed his childhood friend, Raya. He wanted to tell Jason that he'd once killed the Joker himself. Bruce had saved his life, only to spare Dick the guilt of having taken a life. He wanted to tell Jason that he understood how he felt. They all did. But then, Jason had a point; none of them had ever been literally killed by the clown either.

Despite the hesitation, Dick new what he had to do. He grabbed his gear, suiting up, and made his way out of the apartment after Jason.


	9. Chapter 9

Arkham Asylum was surrounded by police in riot gear and the maniacs from the inside. Firefly and Mr Freeze seemed to be keeping the GCPD out of the building. It was a standoff, as the GCPD could not approach the building to get inside, and neither Firefly or Mr Freeze seemed inclined to leave either. The question became, why stay behind when they could've easily escaped?

Batman, Robin, and Red Robin touched down behind Jim Gordon, having arrived via the Batwing. Nightwing and Red Hood arrived only moments after they had. Jim turned around and frowned as he eyed them all, one-by-one.

"Seems like the cavalry has arrived," he said evenly, crossing his arms over his chest. He turned to the Red Hood, his frown deepening. "Will you be a problem?" he asked. Jason snorted and gave a shrug of his shoulders, tossing a hand gun to Jim, who caught it effortlessly.

"Don't worry. Non-lethal ammo. Check for yourself," he said. Jim did indeed check and verified that the ammunition was non-lethal before handing the gun back.

"Good. We've got enough crazies to deal with as it," Jim said flatly.

"What's the situation?" Bruce asked. Jim glanced back toward the Asylum as Firefly sprayed another jet of fire at some GCPD officers who got too close to the asylum.

"It's chaos. We're doing as well can to keep them inside, but several of them escaped before we arrived," Jim said, scrubbing his face with his hands.

"Do we know who?" Dick asked. Jim turned to Nightwing and nodded.

"A small team managed to get inside, but I worry for them now. From what we've been able to verify, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Bane, Clayface, The Riddler, and Doctor Langstom all fled the asylum during the initial chaos. But those are only who we've been able to verify. Who knows who else has escaped."

The five of them exchanged looked; it was going to be a long night. Bruce turned his attention back onto Jim.

"And the Joker has taken over the asylum; do we know who he's working with?" Bruce asked. Jim shook his head.

"We know Killer Croc and Scarecrow are still inside. We're also assuming Harley Quinn and a number of their gang are still inside as well," he answered. Bruce's eyes narrowed suspiciously, then he turned to the others.

"We'll take care of Firefly and Mr. Freeze," he said, turning back to Jim. "Don't send anyone in after us. We'll handle it." Jim just gave a nod in reply, and the five of them jumped into action. Bruce threw several batarangs at Firefly, but Mr. Freeze froze them in place. Damian and Tim went after Mr. Freeze and Dick went after Firefly. Jason used the chaos to sneak into the Asylum. Dick caught him and called after him, because he knew what Jason was going to do.

"Hood!" Dick shouted, barely avoiding a jet of flame. Bruce threw more batarangs as Firefly turned to fire at him. A batarang sliced through the hose on his pack, fluid draining out of it. Firefly cursed angrily as he used the gun of the flamethrower as a hammer and swung at Bruce. Dick came in from behind and rained a series of electrified escrima blows on him, rendering him unconscious.

"Good work," Bruce said. The two of them turned to see Damian and Tim having a tough time with Mr. Freeze. Damian flipped over his head as he fired his ice cannon while Tim came at him from the side. Mr. Freeze turned to swat Tim with his ice ray, but Tim ducked the attack and threw several wingdings at him. Many of them stuck in the line of his pack connecting to his freeze ray, and Mr. Freeze laughed at him.

"Child, my intelligence is far above that of 'Firefly'. That little trick wont work on me," Mr. Freeze said, firing his ice ray at Tim.

"How about this?!" Damian shouted, drawing a katana and slicing through the line. Mr. Freeze turned and shouted in rage, swinging at Damian, but was met with a combined attack from Bruce, Dick, and Tim, taking him down.

"Hood is already inside," Dick said immediately to Bruce. Bruce gave a nod and the four of them made their way inside the Asylum. Once inside, it was chaos; they could hear shouting, cursing and gunfire in the distance, but as they made their way further in, the Joker's thugs were scattered everywhere, alive, but unconscious. They followed the trail to find Jason going toe-to-toe with Killer Croc.

"Time's up Hood. You'll make a fine meal!" Croc taunted, swinging his massive tail at Jason. Jason ducked it by dropping to the ground, then rolling backwards as Croc swung a massive fist down at the floor.

"I've got this! Scarecrow retreated further ahead!" Jason shouted. Bruce nodded and took Tim and Damian with him. Dick joined with Killer Croc. The two men exchanged glances, but didn't have time for more than that when Croc came charging, swinging both of his massive, scaley arms at the two vigilantes. Dick ducked underneath his arm, while Jason dived out of the way. As Croc spun around, Dick threw several smoke pellets. A smokescreen rose, obscuring Croc's view. The two men took advantage to rain blows on the villain. Croc stumbled forward, mostly unaffected by the attacks and gave a laugh.

"My hide is tough enough to take anything you kids can put out," he taunted, pounding his chest. Jason turned to Dick and shrugged.

"He's right you know," Jason said smoothly. Dick smirked and lit up his escrima sticks with electricity.

"Yeah, but even he's not immune to electricity," Dick said, charging in at Killer Croc. Jason grinned and began changing the ammo in his gun.

"I like the way you think, Nightwing," he replied. Croc took a swing at Nightwing, who jumped into the arm, and used his arm like a stepping stone, jumping further into the air and spinning around. As Croc turned, Jason took advantage and fired a series of gunshots at him. The electric ammo shocked Croc, causing the villain to roar. Dick came down and brought the escrima sticks down on his head, as hard as he could, delivering thousands of volts of electricity into Croc. The villain roared in agony and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Nice work," Jason complimented. Dick grinned and put his escrima sticks away.

"Thanks. We make a pretty good team," he replied.

"Now let's go catch up with the others. I got a clown to kill," Jason replied. Dick grabbed the man's arm and stopped him./

"Jason-" Dick began, but he didn't get a word in edgewise as the intercom turned on and a familiar laugh sounded over it.

"Ah, so the whole gang is here! Welcome to my fun little game! Please come in and enjoy your stay!" The Joker called, laughing hysterically. Jason yanked his arm free from Dick's grip and went further into the asylum, guns at the ready, with Dick behind him. They moved slowly and cautiously, taking out Joker's thugs as they appeared.

"Ah Batsy, been a while, hasn't it?" came the Joker's voice, followed by a giggle. "How're the new Robins working out? The second one was kind of a stiff!" The Joker said, laughing hysterically at his own dark pun.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you clown! I'm the only one getting the last laugh tonight!" Jason shouted, even though he was sure the clown couldn't hear him. But apparently, he could.

"Ah, so the Red Hood is here! What fun! Did you bring your boyfriend too?" the Joker asked. Dick and Jason froze, staring at each other in shock. How could he know about that?! "Ah Nightwing! Now there's a fun plaything! Y'know, he used to be so boring! Nothing seemed to phase that guy," The Joker went on. Dick froze in place for a second time, not liking where this conversation was going. Jason looked back at him and pulled off his helmet.

"Don't listen to him. Let's go kick his ass," Jason said. But Dick couldn't move.

"That was until the circus came to town!" The Joker added, another laughing from the intercom. Dick started flashing back to that day, the day he tracked down the Joker, full of pain and anger. The day he found his best friend, dressed in a Nightwing costume, dead from Joker Toxin. "Hoo boy, that was quite a show! What was that dead girl's name? Raya or something? Bah, who cares. She's turning up daisies now!" The Joker laughed hysterically again and Dick's grip tightened on his escrima sticks, jaw working. Jason turned to him, flashing a concerned look.

"Dick-"

"But of course the fun part was what came after! Did ya ever tell your boyfriend how you 86'd me?" The Joker added. Dick's anger faded and his expression fell. Jason stared at him in a mix of shock of awe. "Beat me literally to death! Of course Daddy Bats had to spoil all the fun."

"Dick, did you-"

"Later!" Dick snapped, racing into the asylum. Jason stood there in stunned silence; he'd wanted to kill the Joker and had come here to do just that, but to learn that the man he loved, the man who hated killing, had already done it once?! His anger replaced everything, because the Joker said that Bruce saved him! Jason's jaw worked as he replaced his helmet and chased after Dick. The two of them met back up with Bruce, Tim, and Damian, who had rounded up Scarecrow, Riddler, and Mad Hatter, tying them to a pillar nearby.

"Bruce-" Dick called, but Jason cut him off, storming past him and throwing a punch at Bruce. Unprepared for the attack, Bruce staggered back, stunned. Damian and Tim immediately jumped to his defense.

"What's the big idea?!" Tim snapped.

"Back up Todd," Damian warned, but Jason ignored them. He pointed accusingly at Bruce.

"He was dead, and you saved him?!" Jason roared angrily. Bruce recovered and wiped his mouth the with the back of a gloved hand.

"Jason-"

"No, fuck you! You saved a god damn serial killer! You save my killer, you son of a bitch!" Jason shouted angrily. Jason was about to make another attack, Tim and Damian poised to intercept, but Dick jumped between them, holding his arms out wide.

"Enough! We can't fight right now, this is what he wants!" Dick said sternly, and the Joker's laugh sounded over the intercom.

"Oh Big Bird, you know me so well! It's like watching an episode of Jerry Springer!" The Joker chimed in with a demented cackle.

"Dick-" Jason began, but Dick interrupted.

"Jason, he did it to save me." Jason flinched at the revelation, not sure what to make of it. He looked over at Bruce who continued to stare at him passively, then glared back at Dick.

"You owe me an explanation. Later. Let's deal with this sick fuck now," Jason growled, pushing past them.

"You realize this could be a trap?" Tim asked. Damian chimed in next.

"Most likely, but it's five against once."

"Don't underestimate him. Ever. The Joker _will kill you_ if he has the opportunity," Bruce replied evenly. Jason glanced over at Bruce, flinching ever so slightly at the words. He knew that firsthand.

"Ah Batgirl! Little late to the party, aren't we? How're the legs?" The Joker asked with a sadistic laugh. The five of them turned to see Barbara coming down the hallway to join them, looking unperturbed.

"Sorry to crash your party," Barbara said with a smirk.

"The more the merrier," Dick replied with a smile.

"Shut up and let's go," Jason shot back, heading further into the asylum. Barbara glanced at Dick nervously.

"Are you sure he should be here?" she whispered. Dick sighed and gave a shrug.

"It's not like I could stop him." The, now six, of them went further into the asylum; it became eerily quiet and not a soul could be seen. It had to be a trap, they all knew, but they didn't have a choice. All the while, the Joker taunted them and laughed at them over the intercom. At last, they came to the cafeteria and pushed the double doors open. There sat the Joker, surrounded by Harley, Righty, Lefty, and his two hyenas, Bud and Lou.

"And the gang's all here! It's a good old family reunion!" The Joker cackled. He turned his sights on Jason and pulled a crowbar out from under the chair he was sitting on. Jason's eyes darted toward it ans he gasped lightly, seeing he dried bloodstains on it. "Ah Hood. Or do you prefer Jason?" the clown asked with a sadistic grin. Jason tensed at the use of his name. The Joker waved the crowbar through the air so he could see it. "I hope you don't mind; I brought a little friend." Jason's mind flashed back to that warehouse. The Joker beating him with a crowbar, laughing, taunting, mocking. The bomb...the explosion, then nothing.

Jason stumbled back a bit and shook his head, everyone looking to him with concern. Jason collected himself and stormed forward several steps, pointing the gun at the demented clown.

"Enough is enough, Clown. I'm ending you for good!" Jason hissed. The Joker laughed and snapped his fingers and his henchmen and hyenas rushed into battle.

"Sounds fun, but not before I have a little of my own!" The Joker called, rising from his chair and taking off through the back. Jason tried to give chase, but Righty and Left blocked him off.

"You ain't getting' ya grubby mitts on my puddin'!" Harely called, swinging her mallet at Jason. The others quickly joined the fray in a frenzy of flying fists. The hyenas cornered Damian, likely assuming he was the weakest. Damian grinned as the beasts attacked.

Tim and Dick each took on Righty and Lefty, while Bruce tangled with Harley. Dick looked around once he'd dealt with Lefty, and once again, Jason had taken off.

"Dammit Jaybird," Dick muttered to himself, following the path Jason had taken. It led down a long hallway and then out onto the grounds in the back of the Asylum. He arrived just in time to see Joker striking Jason's face with the crowbar, his helmet discarded a short distance away.

"This time when I kill you, have the common courtesy to stay dead!" The Joker taunted with a demented giggle. Jason growled darkly as the Clown brought the crowbar down again. He grabbed it this time and glared at the Joker.

"You made a mistake this time, clown," Jason growled, prying the crowbar free and shoving him back as he got to his feet. "I'm bigger and more dangerous now than last time. And this time, I will kill you," Jason hissed, swinging the crowbar at the Joker. He struck the clown on the chin and sent him tumbling backwards, grinning like a madman as he wiped the blood away from his chin.

"Aw, come now! I hit you way harder than that, pumpkin," The Joker taunted. Dick lunged in to stop Jason, but in a fit of rage, Jason backhanded Dick as he tried to stop him and started wailing on the clown.

"Jason!" Dick shouted, pulling the man off of the Joker. The other four came rushing out to see Jason shaking with anger and the Joker, alive, but unconscious and bleeding on the ground. Jason turned back to the Joker and pulled a gun on him.

"This time, you're done for good," Jason growled, his tone full of pent up anger. Bruce grabbed his wrist and stopped him from pulling the trigger. Jason glared at him angrily, but when he turned and saw Dick, saw his lip bleeding, his anger faded. He had done that when he backhanded Dick in his own anger. Dick turned to Jason and flashed a smile and Jason felt like shit. He'd just struck Dick and the man had already forgiven him!

"Jason-" Bruce began, but Jason yanked his arm away, flashing Dick an apologetic look, and fled. Dick wanted to stop him, his smile faltering, but after what had happened tonight, after what Jason had heard he'd done, he didn't know if he could. He understood that Jason wanted to kill the Joker; Dick actually _had_. Had it been hypocritical of him to ask Jason not to do the same...?

-o-o-O-o-o-

Dick returned to his apartment a few hours later, after they'd rounded up all of the patients in Arkham, and returned others who'd broken out. Jason was sitting on the couch, reading, dressed in civilian gear. Dick paused just beyond the window before he pulled himself through.

"Jason, I-"

"I'm sorry Dickie," Jason said softly, setting the book down and flashing Dick a remorseful look. "I was just _so fucking angry_ -"

"I get it, it's okay Jaybird," Dick replied, flashing a smile as he peeled of his mask. Jason growled in response and pushed himself up off of the couch, grabbing Dick by the collar of his Nightwing costume, yanking him forward.

"God, Dick! Would you just fuckng stop being so god damn forgiving?!" Jason growled, more in frustration at himself than with Dick. Dick chuckled in amusement and carefully pulled himself free from Jason's grip, holding the man's hands in his, and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. It stung his lip a little bit, but he didn't care. And when Jason kissed back, he slid his arms around Jason's waist and pulled the man up against him. The kiss was slow, gentle, with Jason pouring as much of his affection as he could into it. Dick carefully pushed Jason off of him and sighed.

"I did kill the Joker, Jason. And Bruce did save him," Dick began softly.

"I'm still going to kill him myself," Jason said darkly, and Dick flashed him a sad look. "I...didn't do it tonight, because...I freaked out when I saw what my anger had done. Does it hurt?" Jason asked, letting his thumb brush over the wound on the man's lip. Dick flinched slightly, but shook his head.

"A little bit, but it's fine. Look, I owe you an explanation-"

"I think I got it, Dick," Jason said evenly, flopping down onto the couch. He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. "I'm still fucking pissed that Bruce saved him, but I'm guessing he did it, because you wouldn't have been able to live with yourself for having actually killed someone?" Dick rubbed his arm nervously, and gave a nod.

"Yeah. He killed my best friend, my childhood friend, Raya. Dressed her up in a mock Nightwing suit and poisoned her with Joker toxin," Dick said with a sigh, moving into the bedroom to change. Jason waited patiently on the couch, and when Dick returned minutes later, he was dressed in blue dorm pants, and white tank top. Dick carded a hand through his hair and sat beside Jason. "Do you know anything about what happened to me in Bludhaven years ago with Blockbuster?" Dick asked. Jason frowned and shifted on the couch a bit to look at Dick.

"I heard something about that, yeah. He ended up dead," Jason answered. Dick nodded.

"He found out my identity and started targeting the people close to me, even blew up my old apartment building," Dick began, swallowing hard. "When I finally caught up to him...I was so...messed up. Another vigilante, Tarantula, she shot and killed him and I...did nothing to stop it."

Jason leaned toward Dick and kissed his lips, soft and chaste. Dick sighed a little as he leaned into it. It was Dick who deepened the kiss, and Jason returned it hungrily. Jason pushed the man back onto the couch, Dick's arms wrapping around him as they kissed, Jason's hands just touching, exploring.

"Promise me something," Dick asked softly as he parted from the kiss. Jason gave a quizzical look and so Dick continued. "Promise me you won't kill anymore. At least...only use it as a last resort?" Jason frowned, briefly as he considered the request.

"I'm still killing the Joker, Dick," Jason said firmly, but he nodded. "But otherwise, yeah sure." Dick smiled and brought Jason's head down for another kiss.

-o-o-O-o-o-

The security staff at Arkham had been doubled after they rounded up the patients and put them back in their cells. Some had escaped, but they needed to account for those that hadn't and find out which of those had.

"Every other patient has been accounted for except for Doctor Strange." said the nurse, holding clipboard as he motioned for the guards to open the cell.

"I wouldn't worry about it. This wing of the asylum was still secure during the attack. Besides, every other patient in this wing has been accounted for," one of the guards answered.

"Just following protocol," the nurse replied, shrugging his shoulders. As the door swung open, the found the cell of Hugo Strange empty.


	10. Chapter 10

Impatient and needy, Jason shoved Dick's dorm pants down and bent him over the kitchen counter. He dug through his pocket for a bottle of lube and a condom, then fumbled with the button and the zip on his jeans and pushed them down past as knees. Off came his shirt, and to the floor it went.

"C'mon Jason, hurry up!" Dick whined, voice full of need and lust. They'd been helping Bruce, Tim, and Robin, alongside Barbara, to track down the patients that escaped from Arkham, over the last few days. Among them, was Poison Ivy, and with Ivy came pollen. Dick and Jason had both been sure to be careful, but by the time they got home and changed out of their gear, whatever trace amounts that they'd been dosed with started to take effect in. But instead of curing it, they decided to use it to their... _advantage._

"Impatient, aren't we?" Jason teased, rolling the condom onto his length and lubing himself up. Dick pushed himself up a bit to glare at Jason, but the younger pushed him back down against the counter and pushed into him in one, rough motion. Dick moaned loudly as Jason seated himself to the hilt. Jason drew out to the tip and slammed back in, pulling another loud moan out of Dick. Jason grabbed the man's hips and set a brutal pace, slamming into him. The sound lewd sound of skin slapping skin, of panting and moaning, filled the room.

Dick reached down and grabbed his own neglected cock and started stroking himself frantically, desperate to get off. He groaned as Jason struck his prostate just right, but it wasn't enough. He growled at Jason, shoving himself back against the man.

"Dammit, Jason, harder! Please, fuck!" Dick managed. Jason grinned, gripping the man's hips and shoving into him, _hard_. He increased the force and speed of his thrusts, angling just right to hit Dick's prostate on every thrust, wanting to elicit those broken moans and cries of pleasure; the sounds Dick made were like music to his ears.

Jason grunted as he pulled out of Dick, the other whimpering at the loss. Jason shoved his dorm pants down and off, then spun him around and lifted him up. Dick wrapped his legs around him and shouted in ecstasy as Jason shoved back into him. Jason wrapped both his arms around Dick and kissed him hard. Jason stepped out of his jeans and moved toward the wall, shoving Dick up against it without breaking the kiss.

Dick wrapped his arms around Jason's neck, and Jason grabbed his cock, pumping him frantically as he continued his brutal thrusts, swallowing Dick's cries and moans of pleasure in the kiss. Dick pulled away and threw his head back, banging lightly against the wall. His legs tightened around Jason's waist, hands clawing at Jason's back and his body went taught as his orgasm neared.

"Jason! J-Jay! I-I'm gonna...please!" Dick gasped. Jason grinned as he kept slamming inside Dick, grabbing Dick's balls to prevent him from coming. Dick whined and writhed beneath Jason. "Jay, please! I need...god, please let me cum!" Dick whined as Jason continued to assault his prostate. Jason kissed his neck, feeling his own orgasm nearing.

"Beg me. Say it! Scream my name!" Jason growled.

"Please, Jason, let me cum! Please, god!" Dick cried out. Jason let go, and Dick came hard, head banging against the wall behind him as his chest and stomach was coated in cum. Jason wrapped his hand around Dick's cock and pumped him through his orgasm. Dick whined and moaned, broken and desperate, his cock oversensitive from orgasm. Jason redoubled his efforts and in three more thrusts, he bucked up into Dick and came, shouting in ecstasy. Dick leaned forward and captured Jason's lips, swallowing his cries.

Jason's knees started to shake as he pulled himself out of Dick and pulled off the condom, tossing it into the trash can nearby. Together, the two of them slid down onto the floor, Jason pulling Dick into his lap and petting his skin as they shared a slow, gentle kiss, basking in the afterglow.

Dick framed Jason's face with his hands as he kissed him, slow and gentle. When he pulled away, he smiled down at Jason, a warm and affectionate smile.

"I love you," he said softly, kissing the man's forehead. Jason smiled back up at him, stealing another kiss.

"I-" Jason paused, the words stuck in his throat. Though Dick tried to hide it, Jason could see Dick's smile falter. "Dammit, I'm sorry Dickie, I Just-" Jason began, feeling guilty that he still couldn't say the words, seeing how hurt it made Dick that he couldn't say it back. But Dick silenced him with another, chaste kiss on his lips.

"You'll say it when you're ready."

"It's not fair to you though, Dickie," Jason whispered back. He snorted, smirking a little to himself an added "it should be easy, really. I've only had the biggest crush on you since I was like, nine." Dick frowned a little at the comment.

"Nine? We didn't meet until Bruce adopted you when you were twelve," Dick answered. Jason chuckled at the reply, smirking up at him.

"You really don't remember, do you?" he asked, to which Dick shook his head.

 _A young, nine year old Jason Todd sat on the edge of the roof of his apartment building, smoking a cigarette and staring out over the city before him. He looked up at the sky, a blanket of darkness, pierced by specks of light and a full moon. Suddenly, someone had snatched the cigarette from him and he watched helplessly as a black boot stomped it out. He turned to see who had done it and stared in wonder as he saw Robin, Boy Wonder standing beside him. The young teen sidekick was garbed in a red tunic, green leggings, green gloves, and a black cape that was yellow on the inside, and of course the domino mask._

 _Robin smiled at him and leaned down a bit to look at him. Jason's face heated up a little bit as the older boy got closer to him._

 _"You know, you shouldn't smoke. Those things are bad for you. You're a little young to be smoking anyway, aren't you?" the teen asked with a bright smile. Jason just stared at him, and shook his head. The teen smiled even brighter as he approached the edge of the building and pulled out a grappling gun. "It's really late and a little chilly. You should go inside and get some sleep. School tomorrow and all, right?" He laughed a little and added "but then, look at me; out past midnight!" Robin dived off of the building and fired a line to the building across the way and vanished into the night._

 _All Jason could do was stare after him, a pink blush lighting up his face._

"I didn't know what that feeling was back then, but it seems pretty obvious now," Jason replied with a smirk.

"That was you?" Dick asked incredulously. Jason's smirk turned into a grin and nodded.

"Yup." Dick beamed brightly and pressed a kiss to Jason's head. He crawled out of the man's lap and retreated to the bathroom, not bothering to grab his clothes.

"Going for a shower. Care to join me?" Dick asked. Jason grinned at the offer and quickly followed.

-o-o-O-o-o-

When Dick woke the next morning, he rolled over to see Jason's side of the bed empty. He frowned a little bit, but otherwise, he was not surprised. The man tended to come and go as he pleased; still, after last night, he would have liked to have woken up to his boyfriend's sleeping face. Heaving a sigh, Dick pulled himself out of bed, pulling on some boxer briefs and a pair of jeans, combing his hair into place with his fingers. He made his way out of the bedroom to confirm that Jason was gone, but the place had been cleaned up, and a note left on the table.

 _Sorry Dickie, decided to get an early start on an important investigation. Didn't want to wake you. Love you._

 _Jason._

Dick snorted as he read the note and crumbled it up. _He can write it, but he can't say it?_ Dick thought with a hint of frustration. He sighed and shook his head; he was being petty and he knew it. He understood why Jason couldn't say it, what made him hesitant to, and he was content to wait until the man was ready. But if he were honest, it made him a little sad to not _hear_ it, even if he _knew_ how Jason felt.

Dick made his way out to the kitchen to get breakfast. He dug through his cabinet to find a cereal box, but to his annoyance, he couldn't find any. Jason had hidden his cereal again! He loved the man, truly, but he really needed to have a discussion with Jason about his eating habits; he liked cereal! And some mornings, like this morning, he didn't feel like cooking! But Jason insisted he 'eat an actual breakfast'. It warmed his heart that Jason cared so much, but it also annoyed him to no end. Heaving a sigh, he resigned himself to cook, instead of going hunting for his missing cereal boxes. He'd ask Jason about it later. He was sure a little bit of sweet talking with a side of 'the look' with wear the man down enough to make him talk.

A knock sounded at his door before he could begin cooking and Ace, who'd gotten quite a bit bigger in the last month or so, bounded over to the door and barked excitedly. Dick padded into the living room and gently nudged Ace aside before pulling open the door.

"Tim, hey! Come in!" Dick said with a smile, inviting Tim into his apartment. Tim smiled at his older brother, but knelt down to greet Ace first, who jumped up on him and licked his face excitedly. Tim entered the apartment and Dick closed the door behind him. "To what do I owe this visit?" Dick asked. Tim gave a shrug.

"I wanted to see you. We don't hang out much since you and Jason started seeing each other," Tim said evenly. Dick's smile faltered a little as he acknowledged the truth of Tim's words.

"Tim, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's cool, I get it. Really," Tim replied, flashing the older man a smile. "Actually, I'm here for Bruce. He asked me to come by, but it was just a convenient excuse to come see you anyway," Tim replied with a smirk. Dick laughed and padded into the kitchen, waving for Tim to follow him.

"Really? Why did Bruce ask you to come by?" Dick asked curiously, as he pulled out a flat of eggs and a package of bacon from the fridge. "Breakfast?" he added. Tim sat down at the table and watched as Dick prepared to cook.

"Well actually, he wanted to come himself, but business at Wayne Enterprises called him away. I offered to come for him," Tim replied. He smiled at the offer and gave a shrug. "And sure, breakfast sounds good." Dick glanced over his shoulder as he started cooking the back, flashing Tim a smile.

"Okay, but what did Bruce want?" Dick asked, turning his attention back to his cooking.

"He wanted to check up on you and see how you and Jason were doing. By the way, there's a camera underneath the cabinet above the fridge," Tim replied. Dick paused for a moment as he glanced back at Tim and heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Really? More cameras? I thought we talked about this," Dick said with a tired sigh. He ignored it for the moment and focused on cooking, cracking the eggs into the pan. But then realization donned on him, and horror took hold. Had Bruce seen...what they did last night?!

"For the record, what I saw last night was life scarring," Tim said suddenly, and Dick's face turned bright red. "I was using the computer to run some algorithms when curiosity got he better of me. I found the camera feed and...well, now I need eye bleach," Tim joked, shaking his head.

"Oh my god. Did Bruce-"

"No. Neither Bruce, Alfred, or Damian saw anything. I was alone in the cave. Unfortunately. So breakfast is the least you can do to make it up to me," Tim interrupted. Dick couldn't help but to laugh, despite how utterly embarrassing the situation was.

"I...have no idea what to say," Dick admitted with a nervous laugh as he moved the eggs onto a plate with some back and cracked two more eggs into the pan. Tim snickered a bit and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, I'd have asked how you and Jason were doing, like Bruce asked, but if last night's feed was anything to judge by-"

"Okay, stop please, Tim," Dick said with a teasing tone. Tim laughed ion response as Dick slid a plate across the table to him, joining him minutes later with his own breakfast. "So enough questions about my love life. Tell me about you and that girl, Cassie," Dick asked, chewing on a piece of bacon. Tim's face flushed pink a little as he stuffed a piece of egg into his mouth.

"You mean Wonder Girl?" Tim asked nervously. Dick smirked at him and nodded.

"Yes, I mean Wonder Girl," Dick replied. Tim cleared his throat a bit as he thought about what to say.

"W-well...Cassie and I are...kind of...not a thing yet?" Tim said nervously. Dick looked over at his little brother, and finished a strip of bacon, poking at his eggs with his fork. He was silent for a moment, before grinning from ear to ear.

"Ah, I see. You got cold feet," Dick supplied. Tim blushed crimson but gave a curt nod. "Well, you know, you'll never get anywhere if you don't say anything. You said you suspected she had a thing for you, so what's holding you back?" Dick asked. Tim gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"I don't know," Tim answered sheepishly. Dick smiled at the teen and clapped him on the back.

"Well, my advice to you is, man up and ask her out! You'll never find out if you don't try," Dick replied. Tim snorted and shook his head.

"Easy for you to say. You've had relationships with how many girls?" Tim asked, arching an eyebrow. Dick laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's my superpower. But don't tell anyone," Dick joked, winking at the teen.

-o-o-O-o-o-

Bruce touched down on the ground and entered the warehouse where he knew the Red Hood to be. He found the man inside, surrounded by over a dozen unconscious men. He looked around the room, examining every detail, then turned his attention onto Jason.

"Jason-"

"I don't have time for any of your sanctimonious bullshit, Bruce," Jason spat, pocketing a packet of iridescent blue pills. He turned to Bruce and pulled off his helmet, wearing a black domino mask underneath. He gave the man a glare.

"Jason, Hugo Strange is missing from his cell in Arkham," Bruce began. Jason snorted.

"Yeah, and? You're the _great_ Detective! The _Legendary_ Batman. Figure it out yourself. I'm in the middle of an investigation," Jason spat. Bruce shook his head and approached Jason.

"Jason, listen. I know we've had our differences, but I'd like to set them aside. Come home, be a part of the family again," Bruce said softly. Jason turned and glared at him.

"Fuck you, Bruce. The only reason you're asking me is because I happen to be dating your favorite bird," Jason spat. Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but Jason cut him off. "And like I said, I'm working on my own investigation. While you're busy tracking down super villains, I'm the only one looking out for the little guys, the people you ignore." Jason growled.

"Jason-" Bruce started, but shook his head, easily transitioning back into Batman. "Jason, I think Hugo Strange and your investigation are linked. Let me help."

"I don't need your help," Jason snorted, he turned his back on Batman, pausing for a moment to toss him a bag of the blue pills. "Here. Have fun with that. If you really want to help, find out what that is," he said, then vanished through the roof via grappling hook. Bruce watched him go and stared down at the pills. It was a small thing, but Jason had offered to let him help. It was a start, and Bruce didn't want to waste it.

Jason, for his part, made his way to downtown Gotham, to the Bowery where his favorite Safehouse was. He'd kept a bag of the blue pills to analyze himself. Dick would've wanted him to make peace with Bruce, but he wasn't ready for that yet; he was still so angry at him. And okay, maybe he was being a bit of a brat, but he had his reasons. It was a small gesture, giving Bruce the pills to analyze, but maybe that'd shut him up for a while.

Still, with Hugo Strange out and about and no leads for where he could possibly be, he'd be lying if he didn't admit he was at least a little bit concerned. The man was incredibly dangerous, a mad scientist almost and a brilliant psychologist. But it was like he said at the warehouse; Bruce and the others were focused on re-capturing the super villains, and while they were, petty criminals were getting a free pass to screw people up.

When Jason got back to his apartment, he parked his bike in an alley and made his way inside. He heaved a sigh as he kicked off his boots and shirked off his jacket, hanging it on a coat peg by the wall. He moved into the living room and set his helmet down on the coffee table. He sat down on the couch and examined the blue pills in silence for a moment.

So far, they were new on the street and only had five victims. Whatever the drug was, it had various different effects on different people. If he had to guess, it was due to the unique chemical make up of each person's brain. But the stuff was pretty terrifying; some people showed signs of Joker Toxin infection. Others, fear gas. And some, uncontrollable rage. But they all possessed extreme strength. The effects seemed to vary between different degrees between those three major signs. Whatever this stuff was, it was meant to wreak havoc.

Jason tossed the pills onto the coffee table and quickly grabbed a gun, pointing it up toward the balcony where his bedroom was. He turned and glared at a figured dressed in black armor with a black hood on.

"It's rude to enter without knocking first," he said.

-o-o-O-o-o-

Dick found himself in Gotham once more, by himself, as he searched for more of the escaped patients from Arkham. He'd managed to track down Harley Quinn already and honestly, that wasn't hard. She had a flare for theatrics like the Joker. Only her 'theatrics' weren't quite as insane as his were. He'd also recaptured Penguin and both were going back to Arkham right now.

Dick was in the middle of chasing down a drug dealer when Bruce contacted him via his comm link.

"Batman, what is it? 'm kind of in the middle of a chase," Dick said quickly, leaping over a trash can the man had dumped in his way. While still in the air, he quickly grabbed an escrima stick and threw it at the man. As he turned to see if Nightwing was still pursuing him, it nailed him in the forehead. The man yelped in surprise and pain as he fell backwards onto the ground. Dick pounced on him and knocked him out with a single punch before cuffing him.

"Dick...it's Jason," came Bruce's voice over the comm link.

Dick froze on the spot; Bruce's tone and the mention of Jason...had something... _No!_ Dick didn't waste any time; he was frozen for only a moment before he kicked it into high gear. He shot a line to a nearby roof, then raced across the roof top and pulled up a holographic display on his gauntlet and summoned his Wing Glider. As the glider came into view, he dived off of the building and grabbed a hold of it.

The flight back to the cave had never been so scary; the way Bruce spoke made it sound as if something terrible had happened to Jason. His heart was caught in his throat the whole way back, but once he got back, he raced down into the cave. His steps faltered as he saw Bruce, Tim, Damian and Alfred gathered around a table. Damian and Tim were staring at it solemnly. Bruce looked...drained of emotion and Alfred was...crying.

"No," Dick breathed, on the verge of tears as he approached them. He looked toward the computer and saw a news clip of an explosion in the Bowery. He froze in place, face frozen in terror; he recognized that building; it was Jason's warehouse apartment! "Bruce...?" Dick asked, tears welling up in his eyes, a lump in his throat. A look from Bruce was all it took to know that something bad had happened. Dick approached hesitantly...and then he broke.

He gasped in shock when he saw, on the table, was Jason's broken Red Hood helmet, and a small box of ashes...


	11. Chapter 11

Dick didn't accept it—couldn't accept it—because Jason couldn't be dead again. _Not again!_ Dick left the cave that same night, refusing to accept that Jason was really gone; that was all that kept him from falling apart. He'd spent the rest of that night out in Gotham, searching high and low for any sign of Jason. He checked every safe house he knew of, but found no sign that Jason had been there.

He didn't sleep a wink that night and spent all of the next day searching for Jason, looking everywhere he could think of. For all they knew, Jason might not have even been in the apartment! But his helmet—no, Jason was alive. Had had to be...right?

But as the days passed and Dick's searching turned up more and more nothing, his hope started to waver. Soon, a week had passed and not a thing had turned up nor had Jason called or visited at all, no word from him whatsoever...and Dick started to break. He walled himself off from everyone; Bruce, Alfred, Tim, Damian and Barbara. They tried to reach out to him, tried to talk to him and see if he was okay, but he shut them out. It was like Jason's first death all over again, except for this time, Dick was holding onto the hope that he was still alive.

He was certain they'd try to tell him that Jason was gone or something to that effect and he just didn't have the strength or desire to listen to it.

Dick was in his apartment that night when Roy called him. Roy had been told by Tim, apparently, but Roy didn't believe Jason was dead either.

"Look, I know it's tough Dickie, but hang in there. Jason isn't dead. I know that ornery son of a bitch better than anyone, so trust me when I say he's not dead," Roy said to him over the phone. Dick chuckled a bit as he listened to Roy speak. It was good to hear his voice, to hear him sound so positive about this. Even so, not having heard from Jason was making him begin to doubt. And that doubt was eating away at him. "Hey, Dickie?" Roy asked when he didn't get an answer.

"Yeah, I'm still here," he said somberly.

"Look, I'm coming over," Roy said then, and Dick gave a curt nod. Roy was over in Gotham with Lian visiting with Oliver and Dinah. When he'd heard about Jason, he had been shocked at first, but then brushed it off. Dick wished he had Roy's confidence, because he didn't want to underestimate Jason, but still...

Half an hour passed with Dick sitting on his couch with the TV going on the background, not really paying attention to what was on it. A knock sounded at his door and ws immediately greeted with Ace's barking. Dick heaved a sigh and padded over to the dark, rubbing the back of his neck as he pulled it open. Roy stood there with a stupid grin on his face, holding up a six pack of beer and a takeout bag. Dick couldn't help but to smile a little.

"Heya Dickie. Thought you might appreciate a little beer and take out. I know take out is your favorite," Roy said, wiggling his eyebrows. Dick laughed and invited him in and Roy immediately made for the kitchen table, setting everything down. Dick closed the door and followed him into the kitchen, sitting at the table.

"Did Jason tell you that?" Dick asked amusedly, ignoring that nagging darkness in the back of his head for the moment. Roy joined him and pulled three chili dogs out of the bag, handing one to Dick.

"Yeah. That and left overs," Roy replied, and Dick could only grin as he took a bite of his chili dog. He nodded toward the third and felt compelled to ask.

"What's with the third one? You really that hungry?" Dick asked, arching an eyebrow. Roy snorted.

"God no. That's for Jason," he replied with a smirk. Dick was silent for a moment as he stared at it and Roy clapped him on his back, giving him a genuine smile. "Dick, buddy, trust me. He'll be here." Dick wasn't so sure, and he wondered how Roy knew that, what made him think Jason would show up tonight. "Chili dogs are his favorite. He can probably smell it from wherever he is, ad he'll be here, come hell of high water," Roy joked with a shrug of his shoulders, sipping his beer. Dick laughed at that; how could he not? It was quite an accurate, if not somewhat exaggerated, description of Jason.

"Yeah," Dick said softly, sipping his own beer.

"On a serious note though, Jaybird loves you and he's been gone for a week and a half. He's no gonna leave you hanging for much longer."

"You really think-"

"Pfft, Dick, I _know_. He died once, remember? And all that did was slow him down. I'm convinced the son of a bitch is secretly immortal. You know how many times I've seen him cheat death during out Outlaw days?" Roy interrupted arching an eyebrow. "He's a stubborn jackass. In fact, I'd wager he met with Death himself and gave him the finger."

Dick laughed again as he pictured the scene in his head; once again, that was a very 'Jason' thing for him to do. When he thought of Jason though, his heart ached a little. He wanted the man to come home, or at least let him know he was okay...

"Thanks Roy. I mean it," Dick said softly, heaving a tired sigh.

"No problem buddy," Roy answered smoothly. "If you want, I'll stay here with you and we can wait for him to show up. I know he'll be here, don't ask me how. I've got a feeling, y'know?" Roy said. Dick nodded in response. Some company might be a good idea.

"That'd be good. I could use the company," Dick replied.

The two of them finished their meal, trading casual banter and jokes back and forth, then retreated to the living room, leaving a beer and a chili dog on the table for Jason. Dick still felt unsure, but Roy seemed so confident that Jason would be here. That was enough to help keep it together. Though the more time he spent convincing himself that Roy was right, the more he felt like maybe he was right. Soon he was telling himself that Jason would be here, and the anxiety and depression started to wane a bit. _Jason will come._

Dick sat on the couch while Roy rummaged through his DVDs for something to watch.

"Hmm, let's see. Comedy...Horror...Action...Disney? Really Dick?" Roy asked with a teasing smirk, flashing a few Disney DVDs. Dick gave a shrug.

"What? I like Disney!" Dick replied innocently. Roy snickered to himself and ultimately chose an action movie. The next hour was spent with Roy trying to watch the movie and Dick poking holes in some of the action scenes. Roy laughed and playfully shoved Dick and told him to "shush and enjoy the movie."

The movie was nearing its end when the two of them sat up right on full alert, when something sounded outside Dick's window. Roy and Dick both got to their feet, exchanging glances and watching the window cautiously. They waited, every muscle coiled and ready to strike at any moment. The window opened and they prepared to deal with the would-be intruder.

"Fuck!" came a familiar voice, as Jason tumbled through the window and onto the floor, clutching a wound on his side.

"Jason...?" Dick breathed, feeling his heart catching in his throat. Roy acted before he did, jumping to Jason's side in an instant. Dick snapped out of his stunned state and felt his anger rising, but that could wait; Jason was hurt.

"Jaybird, what the hell happened to you?" Roy asked nonchalantly, helping Jason sit up. He glanced over at Dick who came back from the bathroom with the first aid kit.

"Not now. Got a League Assassin incoming," Jason ground out, pulling his hand away from the wound on his side, his hand stained crimson. Dick and Roy looked toward the window, and two black armored, hooded assassins came through it. Neither of them waited for an invitation and jumped into confrontation with the assailants.

Dick ducked as one of them swung a katana at him, then speared him in the gut, slamming him against the wall. The assassin brought the blade down, but Dick danced aside, grabbing an escrima stick off of the coffee table. He used it to block a sword strike, then punched the assassin in the stomach, following up with a blow to the face.

The other assassin immediately went for Jason, but Roy stopped him by smashing his empty beer bottle over his head. He stumbled forward and Jason kicked him in his stomach, throwing him over his head. The assassin rolled to a stop and found himself cornered by the front door by Roy and Dick, Ace barking at him from across the room.

"Nowhere to run," Roy said, cracking his knuckles. The assassin booked it for the bedroom with Dick and Roy giving chase. The assassin attempted to escape out the window, but Roy managed to grab him and throw him across the room. As the assassin sat up to get back up, Dick slammed him in the face with an escrima stick, knocking him out cold.

"Go take care of Jason. I'll handle these goons," Roy said, and Dick gave a nod. He made his way back out to the living room to find Jason sitting on the couch, trying to patch himself up. Dick grabbed up the first aid kit and sat beside him.

"Get out of your body armor. I can't see the wound," Dick said coldly, trying his best to cover his anger. Jason nodded and began the painful task of removing his armor. He winced and growled in pain a bit as he pulled it off, revealing a long, shallow cut along his ribs, along with a couple of other freshly healed cuts and a purplish bruise about the size of a fist on his side. Dick applied some peroxide and Jason hissed as it stung.

"So, Dickie. Didya miss me?" Jason asked with a smirk. Dick glared up at him and started wrapping a bandage around his torso, giving a bit of a yank to make it hurt. Jason yelped, jumping at the rough treatment. They could hear Roy snickering across the living room, but Duck opted to ignore it.

"Fuck you," Dick growled angrily, so much that even Jason flinched a bit under his gaze. Tears started filling Dick's eyes as he finished binding his side and he said "I thought you were dead. We all did. I couldn't find you and you didn't call, or write, or even let me know you were okay." Dick started to break up a bit, heaving a tired sigh as he dried his eyes. Jason felt guilt welling up inside his chest, swallowing a lump in his throat as he dared to hug Dick.

"Sorry Dickie. Really, I am. I've been dodging League Assassins for a week, trying to lay low and cover my trail," Jason explained. Roy stopped before him and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down at him.

"What did you do now?' he asked sternly. Jason groaned in pain as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He dragged himself into the kitchen, eyes lighting up as he spotted a beer and a chili dog. He glanced back at Roy who just gave a smirk and nodded; Jason wasted no time, cracking the beer open and taking a bite out of the chili dog. It was cold, but he didn't give a shit.

"Jason, god dammit!" Dick shouted, unable to hold his anger back anymore. He stormed toward Jason and clawed his hands, wanting so much to hit something. Instead, he settled for clawing at his hair. "What the hell is wrong with you?! We thought you were dead! Again! You disappeared for over a week without any word you were okay, and then you show up and pretend like nothing happened?!" Dick shouted, his voice gradually getting louder. Jason stared up at him, mouth opening and closing as he thought of something to say.

"Dickie-"

"No, don't you 'Dickie' me, you asshole!" Dick shouted, interrupting him. Dick moved closer to Jason, fists clenching at his side as he glared at the man. Then Dick closed the distance and hugged him, arms wrapping around his neck as he cried into Jason's shoulder. Jason was a little jarred by the sudden change in attitude, but he wrapped his arms around Dick and comforted him, patting his back soothingly. Dick finally managed to regain his composure and sat at the table across from Jason, drying his eyes.

"Don't you ever do that again, or I swear to God, Jason, I'll keelhaul you all the way across Bludhaven," Dick growled warningly. Jason chuckled a bit and raised his hand defensively.

"I promise. I'm really, really sorry Dickie," Jason repeated. Dick heaved a sigh and raked a hand through his hair.

"Start talking," he said in a demanding tone. Jason heaved a sigh and sipped his beer.

'I made a mistake. A stupid fucking amateur mistake," Jason growled, berating himself. He took another bite of his chili dog before he continued. "My investigation into that new drug...well, I didn't dig deep enough, didn't come prepared and I stumbled across a League plot. Nobody was supposed to know, so, naturally, they sent assassins after me to silence me," Jason said with a smirk. Dick did not look amused.

"After the first assassin showed up the night my apartment went up, I knew I had to keep digging. And I'm afraid to admit, said assassin is dead," Jason said with a shrug of his shoulders. Roy snorted with held back laughter, mostly at how unperturbed Jason seemed by it. A well place glared from Dick silenced him. "Anyway, I assume you've noticed a recent spike in Arkham Asylum enrollment?" Jason asked, arching a brow.

"Haven't really been paying attention. I was busy looking for _you_ , you ass," Dick snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?! I said I was sorry!" Jason replied and Dick snorted.

"Just keep talking," Dick answered. Jason nodded.

"Well, anyway, that new drug on the streets that I found was the cause. I did some digging and found that Hugo Strange had created something like it over a decade ago. But you and Bruce put a stop to whatever he was up to before he could test it," Jason explained. Roy and Dick exchanged another look.

"So Strange is testing it now?" Dick asked.

"Yeah."

"What does the League have to do with it?" Roy asked. Jason gave a shrug and sipped his beer.

"That, I haven't figured out yet, but they've been trying really hard to keep it a secret," Jason said with a snort. Dick got to his feet and cuffed him in the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?!" Jason snapped, jumping to his feet and glaring back.

"You couldn't ask for help?!" Dick growled angrily.

"I didn't think I needed it, okay?! I've been dealing with my own shit on my own, for years. Besides, Bruce can-'

"I wasn't talking about just Bruce, you ass! What about me?! You could've asked me for help! Why do you always try to do everything on your own?! You have a family that loves you! I love you! If you had just asked me, I would've help you with your investigation, but instead, you had to be the stubborn, emotionally constipated jackass and-"

"Alright, alright, I get it! Sheesh! I'm sorry, okay?" Jason said, backing up a bit and raising his hands defensively as Dick got into his space. Dick growled to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We have to go to the cave. We have to tell Bruce and-"

"No Dick, I-"

"Don't get a say after the crap you pulled! We're going to the cave! Now!" Dick snapped angrily, storming into the bedroom. Jason stood there, stunned, sharing a look with Roy. Roy snickered in amusement and shrugged.

"Hey, don't look at me. He's _your_ boyfriend."


	12. Chapter 12

The drive from Bludhaven to Wayne Manor in Gotham, all thirty-five minutes of it, was painfully quiet. Jason had tried talking to Dick, but the man kept ignoring him. On the other hand, Dick wanted to much to kiss him and hug him, because he was so happy Jason was okay. But he was _so pissed off_. He was his boyfriend! Why couldn't Jason come to him? Why couldn't Jason ask him for help, or at the _very least_ , let him know he was okay?!

They had stuffed the assassins into the trunk of the car to bring to the cave. If anyone could get information out of them, it would be Bruce. Dick occasionally glanced over at Jason who seemed a little nervous. Well, maybe not nervous, but agitated. He tried not to feel too bad about dragging him to the cave, because why should he feel bad after what Jason had done to them?! Alas, he still felt a twinge of guilt, because he knew how much Jason still resented Bruce and hated being force into situations he didn't want to be in.

They found themselves at the manor soon enough and Dick pulled himself out of the car, glancing back over his shoulder to see Jason and Roy fetching the assassins from the trunk of the car. He headed for the door, even as he heard Jason and Roy bicker at each other a little bit. He gave a knock, and Alfred answered moments later."

"Master Richard. To what do we owe the visit?" Alfred asked evenly. Dick gave a wry smile and hooked his thumb over his shoulder.

"I wish I could say its just a visit but we're here on business, actually," Dick replied. Alfred looked toward Roy and-

"Master Jason," Alfred said softly. As Jason came closer to the door, his steps faltered slightly at the sight of Alfred. Dick grinned at him and took the unconscious assassin from him, nudging him forward. Dick couldn't deny how utterly adorable Jason looked; a grown man, standing before Alfred like a chastised child. If there was anyone that Jason couldn't lie to, or anyone he could be comfortable around, it was Alfred. Nothing had changed between the two of them.

"Hey Alfred," Jason murmured, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Alfred straightened up and looked up into Jason's eyes with a neutral expression. He made not motion to look as Dick and Roy slipped past him to bring the assassins down to the cave. The two of men stood there in silence, Jason unable to look Alfred in the eye.

"Master Jason," Alfred said evenly. Jason looked up shyly, and Alfred simply smiled, pulling the young man into a warm embrace. Jason was a bit taken aback by the warm reception, especially after how he was received by Dick. Then again, this was Alfred; the man seemed to be an endless wellspring of forgiveness. "Welcome home," Alfred said. Jason managed a wry smile and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I...sorry Alfred. For...y'know. Letting you think I was dead and all? I had to dodge assassins," Jason said with a smirk, giving a shrug of his shoulders. Alfred chuckled a bit and gestured toward the inside of the manor.

"Do you know how many times each of you, Master Bruce included have 'died' or disappeared? And yet somehow, you always find your way back home," Alfred replied, closing the door behind them. Jason chuckled in amusement at the comment, flashing Alfred a smirk.

"Well, what can I say? I tried death once. It didn't take," Jason said to him, earning a snort of amusement and a smirk from the old man. Together, he and Alfred made their way down to the save, where Dick, Roy, Tim, Damian and Bruce were, the two unconscious assassins bound and contained in unbreakable tempered glass holding cells. The five of them turned to see Jason headed their way, while Jason spotted his broken helmet on the other side of the cave. He frowned at the broken helmet, briefly lamenting its loss. Fortunately, he had a couple of spares tucked away in his safe houses. Well, providing those hadn't been torched too.

"So, you're alive after all, Todd? Joy," Damian said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. Jason snorted and gave a derisive smirk.

"Yeah, still kicking. Death and I don't really see eye to eye," Jason retorted. He turned to Bruce, but before he could utter a word, the man hugged him. _Hugged him!_ Jason stood there as Bruce hugged him, looking at Roy and Dick rather dumbly. For their part, Dick and Roy just grinned at him, but Jason glared at Dick. He had that smug 'I told you so' look on his face.

"I'm glad you're okay, Jason," Bruce said evenly, the emotionless, blank mask returning to his face. Jason snorted, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, well...I had a good teacher. Dodging death is a pretty useful skill," Jason replied offhandedly. An awkward silence settled over the cave, with no one willing to fill the silence, so Jason opted to do so himself. He dug through his pocket and tossed a bag of the iridescent blue pills to Bruce. "Here. I assume you're familiar with that stuff?" Jason asked. Bruce snatched it out of the air an examined it for a moment. He glared at the bag then looked up at Jason.

"Yes I am. We stopped Hugo Strange from using this stuff a decade ago. It's a potent neurological drug that affected every user differently. It takes advantage of each individual's different brain chemistry to produce different types of neurological effects."

"Yeah well, Strange is in bed with the League of Assassins. I haven't figured out how yet, but whatever it is, it's probably not good," Jason added, crossing his arms over his chest. Bruce gave a curt nod and moved over toward the assassins that had been brought to the cave.

"We'll get our answer, trust me."

"Oh I know. But your methods are a little...soft. Maybe let me get the information out," Jason said with a smug grin, cracking his knuckles. Bruce shot Jason a glare.

"Not necessary. I'll have them singing like canaries before the night's end," Bruce answered, eyes narrowing dangerously. Even Jason was a little impressed by the severity in his eyes. He grinned and held his hands up defensively.

"Alright then. I guess Roy, Dickie-bird, and I will go out looking for Strange then," Jason said, gesturing for Dick and Roy to follow him. Bruce stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I have something for you, before you go," Bruce said evenly. Jason traded a confused look with Dick and Roy as the two of them left to go gear up. Jason turned back around and followed Bruce to an armory of sorts. Curious now, Jason attempted to get a peek over Bruce's shoulder. The man pulled open a locker, and inside was a whole new set of gear. Jason eyed the gear, jaw dropping, in awe. It was a solid black, full body suit of armor with a red bat symbol emblazoned across the chest. Beside it, were a pair of sleek, black gauntlets, and a pair of black, knee high shin guards. It came with black, gray and white camouflage paramilitary pants, a utility belt, and of course, the mask; black at the back and base, but blood red at the front of it. What really drew his attention though, was a pair of very high tech looking handguns. He looked over at Bruce and arched a brow.

"This was for you. A gift for your birthday," Bruce said in a low tone, eyeing the gear with a neutral expression. "But it's yours now if you want it." Jason glanced back and forth between Bruce and his new gear and grinned like a child in a candy store.

"Oh, I definitely want it," Jason replied., grabbing the body armor and examining it closer. It looks much alike Bruce's armor, tough and strong, but it felt lighter, for better movement. He set the armor back down and examined the handguns. He recognized them immediately, having used a similar pair during his Outlaw days, before they were destroyed. They were a pair of black and red Jericho 941's, with (of course) an assortment of non-lethal ammo; electric and rubber bullets mostly.

"Huh. Non-lethal ammo huh? Which works, I suppose. I was going non-lethal anyway," Jason said, examining the guns more closely. He looked over at Bruce and flashed a grin. "I like them. Thanks." Bruce managed a small smile and gave a nod in return. There was a brief silence between them, then Bruce patted Jason's shoulder before moving over to the computer.

Jason was still grinning like the devil as he changed into his new gear, donning his black leather jacket, the final touch to his new look, and made his way over to the others. Dick and Roy had already changed up into their costumes and geared up. The two of them, along with Tim and Damian, turned to him and looked over his new gear. Jason grinned as he stepped closer to them, adjusting a gauntlet.

"Not a bad look, Jaybird," Roy said with a grin. Dick chuckled in amusement and waved Jason over. The man happily made his way over to Dick, who grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him closer, pulling off his helmet and kissing his lips

"I like it. It suits you," Dick said softly. Jason chuckled in amusement and took the helmet back, putting it back on.

"I noticed," Jason replied.

"Okay, first, ew. Second, you're new gear looks pretty bad ass," Tim said.

"Language Master Timothy," Alfred chided, as he made his way across the cave.

"Tt, it's definitely an improvement," Damian put in. Dick, Jason and Roy all made their way over to the Batcomputer, with Jason leaning against the back of the chair behind Bruce.

"So we do have any leads on where Strange might be? We've been looking for a week, but we haven't found a trace of him," Dick asked. Bruce grunted in response as he begun pulling up the evidence they'd compiled over the past week.

"I've been narrowing down where Strange could be by eliminating the places we've looked. According to the algorithms Tim ran on the computer and the evidence we've logged to far, if Strange is still in Gotham-" Bruce began, pausing as an image of Arkham Asylum came up on the screen "-he's here, somewhere."

"In Arkham? Well, that's definitely where he belongs," Jason said with a derisive snort.

"It makes sense. We'd never think to look there. But where is he, exactly? It has to be some place well hidden, or he'd have been found out by now," Dick added in, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe he's got a lab underneath the asylum, like some creepy, evil, mad scientist," Roy joked. He shrunk back a little when Bruce glared at him. He turned back to the screen then and nodded.

"That's exactly where I think he is. Ten years ago, when Dick and I stopped him from testing this drug," Bruce began, holding up the baggie of iridescent blue pills "we were never able to find out where he was manufacturing them. But I suspect he was doing more than making drugs underneath Arkham." Bruce glared at the image of the asylum. "I think he'd already begun testing it. On Arkham's own patients."

"But what about the League of Assassins?" Tim asked. Bruce's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Leave the League to me. If they're involved, then Ra's Al Ghul is somewhere nearby," Bruce said evenly. Damian snorted derisively.

"Grandfather is most definitely here somewhere. It would be just like him to oversee such an operation himself." Jason snorted to himself and moved across the cave, toward the exit to the manor.

"Yeah, he's kind of a narcissistic, arrogant, pompous ass like that. Pity I'll be busy with Strange," Jason said with a dark chuckle of amusement. Damian snorted.

"As if you could take on grandfather," Damian taunted. Jason snorted back and got up in Damian's space.

"I can and have. Your grandfather isn't as big and bad as he'd have you believe. Hell, I bet even Timbo could kick his ass," Jason replied haughtily.

"Alright, enough arguing," Dick cut in, pushing the two of them apart.

"Tt, wouldn't have been much of an argument when only one of us has the intelligence to be prepared," Damian snapped.

"Enough!" Bruce shouted, drawing their attention. Bruce said, making his way over to where they were keeping the assassins. He looked over his shoulder, at his sons and said "we all have to work together. No more fighting, no more bickering, the League of Assassins is involved so we need all hands on deck, focused and strong."

"Don't worry, we'll get it done, Bruce," Dick said, flashing a smile. He not-so-subtly jabbed Jason in the side with his elbow and the man growled at him lowly.

"Yeah, you find Ra's and kick his ass for me. We'll handle Strange," Jason replied. Bruce gave a nod and turned to the assassins that they were holding; it was time to get some answers. Dick turned to them and flashed a smile. flashed a smile.

"Alright, it's up to us to find Strange. But with this drug circulating, we'll need someone to keep an eye on Gotham. Tim, Roy, you go out on patrol, okay? Jason and I will find Strange." Tim and Roy exchanged a glance, then turned back to Dick and gave a nod.

"Alright, you can count on us," Tim said smoothly, giving Dick a smile. He nudged Roy with his elbow and gestured toward a red motorcycle, stylized after his Red Robin costume. "C'mon, let's go," Tim said. Roy eyed the motorcycle and whistled, impressed.

"Nice bike. Can it fit both of us?" Roy asked.

"Thanks. And it'll be fine. Let's go," Tim replied, hopping onto the motorcycle with Roy behind him. Dick and Jason watched as the two of them left the cave, then Jason turned to Dick and quirked an eyebrow.

"So, that leaves us. So...what about us? My motorcycle is caput, and we certainly can't take a civilian car," Jason asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Dick gave a grin and typed in a few commands on his gauntlet. Minutes later, the car they'd come to the manor in, pulled into the cave. Jason looked unimpressed. "Uh...did you not hear what I just said?" he asked incredulously. Dick just waved dismissively at him.

"I did," he answered simply. He typed another command into his gauntlet and the surface of the car shimmered, dispelling a camouflage of sorts. Jason turned back to the car and pulled off his helmet, staring in awe, his jaw dropped. The car, which he'd thought was just an ordinary civilian car, turned out to be Dick's 'batmobile'. It was a sleek black car with the Blue Nightwing symbol on the hood, which stretched back along the sides of the car. Jason turned to Dick who still bore a smug grin.

"Dick, babe, that is a pretty sweet ride," Jason said with a wicked grin, pulling on his helmet and jogging over to it, hopping into the passenger's seat. Dick chuckled in amusement and rounded the car, sliding into the driver's seat.

"I figured you'd approve," he answered, revving the engine and peeling out of the cave.


	13. Chapter 13

Dick and Jason stood before Arkham Asylum, eyeing the place warily. No matter what time of day or night one viewed this place in, it always seemed to have this ominous, eerie look about it. Jason turned to Dick and shook his head.

"You see the irony here, don't you? We put all sorts of baddies and psychotics in here, and now we're trying to actually _break in_. What sane person _breaks in_ to a mental asylum?" Dick grinned at him, chuckling in amusement at the irony.

"Yeah, I see it. No need to remind me," Dick answered casually. Jason grinned, not that Dick could see it underneath his helmet, but the two knew each other well enough that he was sure Dick knew.

"So tell me Dickie-bird. Do we even know where we're looking?" Jason asked. Dick gave a nod and pulled up a holographic display on his gauntlet.

"I have an idea. I figure we'd start by looking in his cell. He's never been reported missing until a the incident a few weeks ago. I should be able to use my scanner to detect any hidden entrances and then we just follow it to wherever Strange is hiding," Dick answered, glancing over at Jason as he dismissed the display over his gauntlet. Jason gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Sounds good. The last thing Gotham needs is a Mad Scientist, slash Psychologist, slash fucking psychopath loose. Let's bag this fuck and be done with it," Jason replied, cracking his knuckles, as he began his approach on Arkham. Dick grabbed Jason by his arm and stopped him.

"Jason...this is Hugo Strange. We need to be _careful_. This is Hugo Strange, one of the few people to deduce Batman's, and by extension, our identities. He might be a mad man, but he's also a brilliant psychologist," Dick warned, frowning at Jason. Jason remained motionless for a moment, knowing Dick was right. "He'll know how to get into our heads and screw with us. Whatever he says, promise me you won't listen to him."

"I'll be fine, Dickie," Jason answered nonchalantly. Dick didn't look convinced so Jason sighed and removed his helmet. "I promise you, I won't listen to him. I've already had the Joker in my god damn head. What's the worst Strange could do?" Jason asked with a smirk. But Dick still wore the same, concerned look.

"Jaybird...you...how do I say this...? You have-"

"Issues. Yeah, no shit," Jason said sourly. Dick flashed a sad look and shook his head.

"Jay-"

"No, I get it. I've got so many fucking issues and vulnerable spots for that whack job to poke and prod, so I get it. You're worried," Jason answered, moving closer to Dick. He pressed his lips against the other man's in a gentle kiss. "But I have you to keep me level, yeah? Have a little faith." Dick smiled when Jason kissed him and gave a nod in reply.

"Okay. Let's get to it then," he answered. The two vigilantes approached the asylum, sticking to the shadows and scaling the walls. Under ordinary circumstances, they could have just gone in to investigate normally. However, they needed to avoid tipping off Strange, and if he was here, waltzing right through the front door would've done just that. So they broke into the asylum through a window on one of the upper floors.

From there, Dick and Jason quietly slipped through the halls of Arkham Asylum. With the drastically increased patient flow due to Strange's drug, sneaking through the Asylum was more difficult than it normally would have been. But at long last, they came to Strange's empty cell. The two vigilantes slipped inside but nothing looked out of the ordinary. Though the two of them were trained by Bruce; looks were often deceiving.

"So...hidden doors, switches, the usual, right?" Jason asked, hands running along the walls.

"Something like that, yeah. Strange was a doctor for years here. He'd've known this place like the back of his hand. Probably would have added a few secrets of his own, too," Dick replied, examining the room carefully with his mask's X-Ray vision.

"You mean besides the underground laboratory?" Jason asked, tone dripping with sarcasm. Dick snorted, suppressing a laugh.

"You know what I meant you ass," Dick replied with a smirk. Jason chuckle to himself, continuing the search for anything out of place. "I've got something," Dick called from the other side of the room. Jason looked over his shoulder toward Dick, to see the man lifting the bed up. Jason snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Under the bed? Really? You'd think a genius psychopath like Strange would be a little more creative," Jason said flatly. Dick chuckled in amusement and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Shall we?" he asked. Jason gave a nod. Underneath the bed, was a hole with all sorts of books, article clippings, documents and the like. Dick and Jason pulled some of them out to examine them. They mostly revolved around the crimes in Gotham, but specifically the crimes committed by Gotham's super villains. The Joker seemed to be his main interest.

"League of Assassins," Jason said aloud, showing Dick a folder with a few hand written notes as well as other documents about the League. "Wow, Strange has done his research. But why was he so interested in finding the League?" Dick took some of the files from Jason and looked them over. Pages of research, mostly rumors, myths, legends and so on, but also conspiracy theories and the like, were gathered together, including notes written by Strange himself.

"Don't know. But Strange mixed up with the League is certainly not a good thing. Whatever his reasons," Dick replied, setting the bed back down. Jason tucked the folder about Strange's League research in his jacket, and the two of them slipped out of the cell.

"Well, that was a bust. No secret entrances or anything," Jason said sourly. Dick gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"There might be one somewhere. It's just a matter of finding it," Dick replied. Jason snorted.

"Arkham is pretty big. We could be looking for a while," Jason answered.

"The alternative is letting Strange stay loose in the city," Dick pointed out. Jason gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, when you put it that way-" Jason began, making his way off of the Arkham grounds. Dick, confused, followed after him. Jason led him to a cave on the far side of the island and gestured toward it "-we could always try this. You forget that Arkham has a cave system underneath it? Pretty sure that's where they keep Killer Croc." Dick gave a smirk and patted Jason's shoulder.

"Well then, shall we?" Dick asked, gesturing toward the cave. Jason went ahead with Dick behind him, both of them activating the night vision in their masks. For the most part, it just seemed like an ordinary cage. That was until they came to Killer Croc's holding cell, still empty of course. The duo went deeper into the cave complex, Dick taking the lead and cycling through the different vision filters in his mask to see what he could see.

"See anything?" Jason asked, drawing his guns as a precaution.

"Wait...," Dick murmured, pulling up his scanner again and scanning the room. "I see electromagnetic currents. Down here, in a cave? I'd bet Strange's lab is nearby," Dick said with a grin.

"Good, let's find the good doctor then, and put him back in his jacket," Jason replied, gesturing for Dick to lead the way. The two of them went on, further into the cave until the came to a crevice in the wall, barely large enough for one, full grown man to fit through.

"Shit. He hid this place well," Jason muttered. Dick chuckled and went first, slipping through the crevice which led to a door. Dick simply pushed it open and heard Jason scoff behind him.

"He probably didn't think anyone would find the place," Dick said.

"Joke's on him," Jason replied, as the two men made their way inside the room. Dick and Jason took slow, cautious steps inside; the laboratory was sterile white, with all kinds of machines and computers all over the room. Monitors hung on the walls, depicting various cells and locations throughout Arkham Island, including the Joker. Jason stopped before that specific monitor; he took off his helmet and glared angrily at the clown who sat their, grinning like a fool in a corner of his cell...looking directly at the camera. Dick caught a glimpse of the monitor and just seeing the Joker staring back...it chilled his blood.

"Hood," Dick said softly, touching Jason's shoulder. Jason flinched and glanced over at Dick, donning his helmet once more. Strange likely knew their identities and he wanted to comment that code names were probably worthless, but on the off-chance the demented doctor hadn't figured them out, code names it was. "Are you gonna be okay?" Dick asked softly. Jason snorted.

"'Course I am. Let's just find that demented freak and toss him back into his cell," Jason said evenly, moving further into the lab. He turned to Dick, walking backwards a bit "after we blow this place, of cou-" Jason trailed off as he entered a different room, taking off his helmet and staring in a mix of shock and awe at what he saw. There were several cylindrical tanks, filled with some kind of fluid, and...people...suspended inside each of them. Jason turned when he heard Dick gasp, the acrobat entering the room slowly, staring slack-jawed at the various tanks.

"I...recognize some of these people," Dick whispered, stopping before one of the tanks that held a man with short brown hair. "Some of these people were committed to Arkham years ago, when I was still Robin," Dick added, looking up at the man before him. "And some of them...they were supposed to be dead."

"Great. So not only is Strange fucking psychotic, he's playing Frankenstein too. Right, just what Gotham needs; more monsters," Jason growled, moving toward the tank Dick stood in front of. He started typing on the console in front of it, looking for answers. "This one's name is 'Theodore Galavan'. Supposedly died in the late 80s. And yet he has vital signs," Jason said lowly, glancing over at Dick. "Weak vital signs, but they're still there. What the fuck is this creep up to?"

"God only knows," Dick murmured, tapping into the main computer on the other side of the room.

"Immortality. A goal of many men, dating back thousands of years," came a voice. Dick and Jason drew their weapons and pointed them toward the source. A balding man with a short, brown beard, wearing a white lab coat and round glasses, entered the room. He bore a simple smirk as he eyed each of the young men with interest.

"Strange," Jason glowered. "I should put a bullet in your sick fucking skull," Jason added. Strange gave a little laugh as he approached one of the tanks, laying his hand upon it.

"Of course, it is not only Immortality that interests me. Humans are remarkable creatures," Strange went on, glancing back and forth between Dick and Jason. "The most intelligent, most evolved species on this planet. This...little blue marble, in a vast, unending ocean of stars. I was curious to see just how far we could evolve...the meta humans. But could humanity go even further? That was the question..."

"So then why become a psychologist? You know, you and Lex Luthor would get along great," Jason said sourly, both guns trained on the doctor as he edged closer toward him. Strange gave a boisterous laugh.

"The brain is a fascinating thing; we understand so little, and yet it is more powerful than you can imagine," Strange replied, turning toward Jason. "How far can it stretch before it breaks? Can it be repaired? Molded as one sees fit? How do we each handle loss? Love? Anger? Hatred? And the subconscious mind; in there lies untapped potential! So much power! You've seen this with Mad Hatter. Hypnotism taps into the sub conscious mind. You can 'program' a person to think and feel as you desire, to do things they otherwise wouldn't do," Strange went on, grin widening. "So much power at our very fingertips, so much potential, and we as a species, squander it."

"I'm starting to see why you became a patient in your own hospital, doc," Dick quipped. Strange chuckled in amusement.

"Why, Mister Grayson, I find your ignorance amusing. And you, Todd," Strange said, glancing over at Jason. He approached the man slowly, but also kept his distance, folding his hands behind his back. "I would have most liked to have had you as a patient. I would have enjoyed studying you, examining your mind. What did it feel like to die?" Strange began. Jason flinched at the question, but the doctor kept pushing. "What was it like, coming back from the cold fingers of death itself? How did it feel to find your death meant nothing? That you were unavenged, uncared for, unloved? Ah, but I think your little rampage through Gotham years ago answers a few questions."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop talking," Jason growled, reloading his guns.

"Jay," Dick said softly, warily. The Doctor moved ever closer, and Jason couldn't help but to take a step back, the man pushing all the wrong buttons.

"It can't have been easy to learn that you had been betrayed, yet again. By a man you wanted to call 'father'. And the Joker—" Strange went on, glancing over at the Joker's monitor "-killed you. Why, it's perfectly reasonable that you'd desire to kill the man who took your life. You were but a child—"

"Jason, don't listen!" Dick called, panic filling his voice as Strange kept pushing him.

"-and your life was so cruelly and unjustly taken. There was hardly any punishment at all! You died, and the Joker merely got a slap on the wrist. But you _came back_. Therein lies the great mystery, therein lies your true value."

"Fuck you!" Jason roared, firing off several rounds are Strange. Dick gasped in shock as Strange fall back against the tank behind him. Dick rushed to his side to see if he was still alive.

"Jason!" dick snapped. But there was no blood and Strange's body twitched involuntary.

"C'mon Dickie, have some more faith. Electric bullets. He's out for the count," Jason said, grinning underneath his helmet. Dick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The man rose to his feet and crossed the room, toward Jason, pressing his lips against the other man's.

"No matter what he says-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. A few things he said got under my skin. Had to shut him up somehow. But do me a favor?" Jason asked. Dick titled his head a little.

"what's that Jaybird?"

"Don't doubt me like that next time, yeah?"

"Never again," Dick said with a smile, stealing another kiss.

"So, shall we blow this place and drag that bastard topside?" Jason asked. Dick shook his head.

"Not yet. We should tell Bruce. He'll want to look this place over. And we might still need Strange," Dick replied. Jason gave a sigh.

"Fine, fine. Always ruining my fun," Jason said in a mock defeated tone as he fiddled with a few charges. Dick laughed in amusement as he knelt down by Strange and tied him up.

"Is your answer always to blow things up?" Dick asked amusedly. Jason gave a shrug and leaned back against the wall.

"Keep it simple, Grayson. That's my motto," Jason replied with a dismissive hand wave. Dick chuckled in amusement and went about contacting Bruce.

"Hey, Bruce? We found Strange's lab. I think you're going to want to see it for yourself," Dick said evenly, taking another glance around the room.

"Fine. I'm on my way," Bruce replied over the comm. Dick rolled his eyes at the comment. Not even a 'thanks' or a 'good job', but that was pretty standard. "And Dick? Jason? Good job."

"Did he just-" Jason began in an amused tone. Dick chuckled and cut the line.

"Yeah, I think he did."

"Wow, tonight is just full of surprises, isn't it?"


	14. Chapter 14

Dick and Jason waited patiently for Bruce to arrive. Well, mostly. Dick was sifting through Strange's data to see what else he could find while Jason was leaning against the wall, keeping a close eye on Strange who had regained consciousness but maintained an eerie silence and a blank expression.

Strange mostly stared at the floor, but Jason's eyes were glued to him, twirling a pistol in one hand and whistling a tune to himself. The more Jason stared at the deranged psychologist, the more tempting it was to just fucking shoot him. People like him took the lives of others without remorse; he and the Joker. They were both mad; different variations of madness, but madness all the same. He'd be lying though if he didn't admit to himself that some of what Strange had said had gotten to him. A lot of what he had said was also true, however.

As a teenager, being raised by Alfred, trained and taught by Bruce, he'd begun to think of Bruce like a father. Indeed, Bruce was the closest thing he'd ever _truly_ had to a father. When his own father, Willis Todd, wasn't out committing crimes, he was beating and berating Jason, reminding him of how useless he was. Bruce made him feel useful, made him feel...welcomed...loved. Which made his death, and resurrection, all the more painful. To come back to life and find out that, not only was his death unavenged, but that man that he had considered a father had _replaced_ him?! It hurt more than he would ever admit, it felt like betrayal. He felt like, once again like his days living on the streets, he'd been discarded, forgotten.

Jason glanced over at Dick, his mind still roiling over what Strange had said. As he watched Dick, he began to wonder exactly why Dick loved him so much. He was a mess, and he knew it. So why did Dick want him? Despite his best efforts to not let Strange's words get to him, they had. But he kept it to himself for now; they had work to do and he needed to focus.

Finally, Batman had arrived and found Jason and Dick there, with Strange tied up nearby. Jason was snapped from his thoughts as he watched the man enter the laboratory, watching as he eyes the various... _experiments_...throughout the laboratory. He glanced over at Strange who looked back at him.

"Well, if it isn't Bruce Wayne—oops-I meant 'Batman'." Strange said with a sly grin, struggling a little bit against the line that bound him, but to no avail.

"It's ain't rope, princess, so I'd give up if I were you. You're not getting out of that," Jason replied with a sly grin, his helmet tucked underneath his arm. Bruce ignored the both of them and moved across the lab slowly, examining each of Strange's test subjects, eyes lingering on Galavan before joining Dick at a console on the other side of the room.

"Dick, did you find anything?" Bruce asked, looking up at the computer screen. Dick glanced over at Bruce and gave a nod in confirmation.

"I did. Strange was trying to create his own personal army of monsters," Dick replied, glancing over at Strange, who wore a smug grin. "His subjects were mostly Asylum patients, or the dead. People who-"

"Nobody would miss," Jason interrupted, fixing Bruce with a glare. Bruce looked over his shoulder at Jason and glared back, but opted not to reply. Bruce turned back to the screen at the right moment; Dick found some information on the drug that Strange had created.

"Here's something. The drug, it's called-"

"Delirium," Strange interrupted with a sly smirk tugging at his lips. Bruce, Dick, and Jason all turned their attention onto Strange, who was still bound in front of one of the tanks. "I am sitting right here. Anything you want to know, you could ask. It would certainly be more enlightening than reading a computer screen," Strange said with a chuckle of amusement, eyeing each and every one of them. Bruce's eyes narrowed on the man and Jason snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Talk to you? You're a mad man, one psychotic step away from the Joker," Jason retorted. Strange laughed, looking at Jason with a smug grin. "You think the Joker is insane? That's adorable; your grasp of the human mind is pitiful. Your ignorance is precious," Strange replied. Jason sneered at the doctor, unfolding his arms and taking a few threatening steps toward him.

"Call it whatever you want, Strange; a homicidal maniac who blows up kids for amusement is insane, plain and simple," Jason spat. Strange laughed at him.

"My dear boy, you have much to learn. The Joker is not insane. He has what we in my field of study like to call, Super Sanity-"

"Enough. The drug, Strange," Batman growled, interrupting Strange. Jason snorted and leaned back against the wall, but this time pointing a gun at Strange.

"I'd answer if I were you. If you like your shoulders, that is," Jason put in with a smug grin. "Please, give me a reason."

Strange glanced back and forth between Jason and Bruce, grin fading a bit. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, as best he could while bound.

"Delirium. A very special concoction, but not entirely my own," Strange began, looking past Bruce and at the computer screen. He grinned from ear to ear, staring at the data as if it were a favorite child.

"It took years to create, by studying the Joker, Jonathan Crane, Jervis Tecth, Pamela Isley, and even Bane. They each used various chemicals to induce one thing or another in either themselves or their victims. So I experimented with their... _unique_...chemical compounds. Eventually, I created 'Delirium'," Strange said proudly. "It was far more difficult than merely throwing these drugs together into a vat. No, I spent a good couple of years studying each drug and the chemistry of the human brain, until eventually, I concocted a little cocktail of my own. Delirium. Of course, I needed to test it, but...well, you put a stop to that all those years ago, didn't you, _Batman_?"

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Dick asked, turning to face Strange. Strange grinned from ear to ear and gave an amused snort.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Strange replied, to which Jason pistol-whipped him back into unconsciousness. He glanced over at Bruce and Dick who were both glaring at him.

"What? He wasn't going to give us anything else, and besides, I was tired of hearing his voice," Jason replied with a lackadaisical shrug of his shoulders. Bruce's glare darkened and Dick just pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Bruce turned to the computer and pulled up a holographic display and began downloading Strange's data directly to the Batcomputer. He turned and grabbed up Strange, draping him over his shoulder and gesturing for Dick and Jason to follow him.

"Come on, we're leaving," Bruce said evenly, making his way toward the exit of the laboratory.

"Finally, let's blow this place," Jason said, earning a glare from Bruce.

"No. You risk disturbing the architecture above. Leave it. We'll let the GCPD know about this place. They'll take care of it," Bruce replied. Jason sighed yet again and destroyed the detonator.

"You _really_ know how to spoil a guy's fun, you know that?" he replied, earning a snicker of amusement from the acrobat beside him as the two men followed their mentor out of the laboratory and back into the caves to the island above.

Bruce, Dick, and Jason returned to the cave where Damian was already waiting. Bruce sat down at the computer and got to work, with Dick standing beside him, looking over the data with him. Tim and Roy returned to the cave minutes later, Tim's motorcycle coming to a noisy halt and Roy following him into the cave. Dick, Jason, and Damian all glanced in their direction, until Tim and Roy joined them and then their attention went back to the computer.

"We still don't know how the League is involved, only that they are, somehow," Bruce said, mostly to himself. Dick glanced over his shoulder and saw Jason and Tim sparring together. Dick smiled at the sight; it was good to see that Jason was starting to be accepted by the family. It was good to see his family whole and together, no matter how brief it would be. He glanced toward Alfred and the two of them exchanged a knowing look. Alfred gave a smile as he made his way over with a tray of tea.

"Tea, Master Bruce. And Earl Gray, your favorite Master Richard," Alfred said evenly. Dick made an 'mmm' sound as he took a cup and sipped it happily. Bruce, for his part, ignored the tea. Alfred turned to the others, Damian, Tim, Roy and Jason, and made his way over to each of them, presenting them with a cup of tea.

"Mmm, peppermint tea. Thanks Alfred," Jason said cheerily, raising his cup in thanks before sipping it happily. Damian and Tim also gave a sound and a few words of approval, halting their sparring to enjoy the tea. Everyone loved Alfred's tea; he always knew exactly what each of them loved when it came to tea and brewed it exactly as they liked it.

"Master Roy," Alfred said, offering Roy the last cup. Roy gave the tea a sip and made a delighted 'mmm' sound.

"Wow, what kinda tea is this? It's really good," Roy replied, sipping it again. Alfred gave a knowing smile.

"I figured you might like it. It's Cinnamon Ginger Tea, with honey," Alfred replied. Roy sipped the tea again and made another exaggerated 'mmm' sound, then turned to Jason and pointed at his tea.

"He's good," Roy said, earning a laugh from Jason.

"You have no idea," Jason replied. Alfred retreated from the cave with the empty tray in hand.

"Is it possible that the League is here of their own accord and we're just seeing connections where there are none?" Dick suggested, looking up at the screen and considering all possibilities. Part of him knew that it was likely no coincidence that the League was here at the same time that Delirium was becoming a plague on the city. Regardless, it was still possible and every possibility had to be considered.  
Bruce gave a grunt in reply though and shook his head.

"No. I admit it's possible, but highly unlikely. Actual coincidences are far and few between. For the League to show up now of all times, is just much too convenient. It must have something to do with-" Bruce paused, eyes widening a bit, re-reading all of the data. "No," Bruce muttered, practically jumping up from the chair and toppling it over backwards. That got everyone's attention and they all stopped to look at the man.

"Bruce, what's wrong?" Dick asked, arching a brow. Bruce stared at the data on the screen silently, his mind going back over everything they knew about the drug, Hugo Strange, the League, and a conclusion began to form in Bruce's mind.

"The League, Hugo Strange, Delirium...it's all connected, and I think I know how," Bruce said, glaring at the computer screen and balling his fists up. Jason, Tim, Damian, Roy, and Dick all exchanged glances as a silence settled over the cave, waiting for Bruce to explain. Jason gave a huff annoyance when none came.

"Well? Gonna leave us in suspense, or are you gonna share?" Jason asked with a glare, crossing his arms over his chest. Bruce growled and pulled on his cowl, pushing away from the computer and marching across the cave, toward the Batmobile.

"The League of Assassins is planning to weaponize Delirium," Bruce began, stopped in front of the Batmobile. He looked over his shoulder and added "they're planning to use it on the people of Gotham." Another series of glances was exchanged between the five of them, then Damian rushed over to the Batmoble to join his father.

"The chaos and destruction that'd cause...it'd be complete chaos in Gotham!" Dick said in shock, considering the possibility. "There's be widespread panic, with people going mad all over the city. Streets blocked, crime through the roof, the entire city paralyzed. Gotham would fall apart," Dick went on, shaking his head in disbelief.

"All the more reason to find out where the League is operating and how they plan to weaponize the drug," Bruce said, hopping into the Batmobile, Damian jumping in beside him. "Call Batgirl, let her in on the situation. We're going to need all hands on deck," Bruce said, eyes narrowing as he gunned the Batmobile and peeled out of the cave.

Tim, Roy, Dick and Jason exchanged looks; they weren't about to sit around and do nothing, that much was a give in. But what to do; that was the question. Dick sat at the computer and got to contacting Barbara, while Jason made his way over to the vehicles and hopped onto a motorcycle. Just as he'd expected, there were safety systems on it to ensure that not just anyone could use it. Fortunately, Jason was rather adept at hacking. Maybe not as good as Dick or Tim, but enough to get past this annoying security feature.  
"Jason-" Tim called after him. Jason glanced in Tim's direction and laughed. "Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it," Jason replied.

"Where are you going?" Dick asked, pressing a mask onto his face.

"I'm going to check with my Underworld contacts. Hardly anything happens in Gotham City without the Underworld noticing it. Relax, I'll be fine," Jason answered, peeling out of the cave. Tim shooed Roy and Dick.

"Go. I'll stay here and work the case from the computer," Tim said evenly, moving toward the computer and sitting in front of it.

"Are you sure, Tim?" Dick asked. Tim gave a nod.

"Yeah. Someone has to," Tim replied. Dick gave a nod in response and gestured toward his Nightcar.

"C'mon Roy, let's go," he said with a smirk, jumping into the driver's seat. Roy grinned at the car like a kid in a candy store and hopped into the passenger's seat.

"Damn, sweet ride, Dickie," Roy replied. Dick laughed in amusement as he revved the engine.

"Yeah, Jason liked it too," he answered before peeling out of the cave.

Making the rounds in Arkham Asylum to check on the patients, one of the nurses in the Asylum. Along with two guards stopped by each cell with a checklist to make sure everyone was in their proper place.

"Hugo Strange...welcome back to the asylum, Mr. Strange," he nurse said with a smug grin. Strange stared out of his cell through round glasses at the nurse with a smug grin on his face. "Enjoy your stay. We've upped security and you'll be here for a long time," the nurse taunted, earning a few laughs from his security escort. Strange chuckled in amusement.

"Mmm, I wouldn't count on that," he replied. The nurse snorted in response and checked his name on the list.

"Psychopath," the nurse muttered before moving on to the next cell.

"Let's see...this one is...Terry Gene Kase," the nurse said, looking inside the cell. In a dark corner of the cell, sat a man with black hair and eyebrows with streaks of gray in his hair, a long black mustache and pale green eyes. The man smiled widely at the nurse and his security detail. The nurse sneered at him and checked his name off the list and moved on to the next cell.

"It's time for the Demon's Head to make his move. A shadow shall fall upon Gotham."


	15. Chapter 15

The Batmobile raced through the streets of Gotham City and down toward Arkham Island. His eyes narrowed dangerously as the Asylum came into view. Hugo Strange and the League of Assassins; a dangerous combination under _any_ circumstances. But if his suspicions about their involvement were correct, things were swiftly moving from _deadly_ to _disastrous_. He needed answers and without so much as a whisper to where Ra's al Ghul was hiding (because he _knew_ Ra's was here somewhere), his only option was to interrogate Strange. Whether or not Strange would answer his questions was another matter completely, however. But he had to try.

The Batmobile came to a stop right outside of the asylum and he and Robin made his way inside. Let in by the guards and led to Strange's cell by the staff, Strange didn't even look up from a game of chess he was playing with himself, to acknowledged their presence.

"Hello Batman. And you brought Robin too. How delightful," Strange said with a sly smirk, rubbing his chin as he stared at the board. After another moment's pause, he moved the black knight. Robin stood nearby, arms crossed over his chest as Batman sat across from Strange. Batman glared at him in silence for a few moments while Strange continued to play his chess game with himself.

"Your intimidation tactic of glaring at me to make me uncomfortable won't work," Strange said smoothly, taking a white pawn with a black rook. He glanced up at Batman and grinned from ear to ear. "I'm a master psychologist. I know all the little parlor tricks. So how about we cut straight to the chase, hmm?"

Batman's eyes narrowed dangerously at Strange but said nothing, sitting in the seat across from Strange. Strange set the board up once more for a game of chess, Batman opting for silence as he did. Strange glanced up at him and made the first move;a white pawn to e5.

"How is the League planning to weaponize Delirium?" Batman asked, moving one of his own pawns forward. Strange gave a 'hmm' sound as he moved another of his pieces and glanced up at Batman.

"So, figured that out did you? Can't say I'm surprised; world's greatest detective and all," Strange replied smugly, watching as Batman took one of his pawns. Strange hummed a bit as he returned to the move and took one of Batman's pawns. "The League wants to destroy Gotham. They have for many years. The trouble is, however, you," Strange said, steepling his fingers as he watched Batman move another piece on the board. He made his next move, taking a pawn with one of his own. "But my drug, Delirium, provided them with a golden opportunity. So, they sought me out and I gave it to them."

"Just like that? No deals, no trades, you just handed it over?" Batman asked without taking his eyes off the board. Strange was silent for a moment as he contemplated his next move. Then, as he moved his bishop, he looked up at Batman and smiled.

"Well, I _did_ get to test my masterpiece," Strange said, smile turning into a smug grin. Batman glared at him, taking Strange's bishop. Strange glanced up from the board for a moment, at Batman. He looked back down at the board and took a pawn with a knight.

"There's more, Strange. You didn't help the League just to test your 'masterpiece'. You're not that charitable," Batman said with a dark glare, capturing Strange's Knight. Robin growled and stepped forward, glaring at Strange. He slammed his fists on the table and the doctor just gave a smug smirk in his direction.

"Enough with the interrogation! We should just beat the information out of him! Let's see how quickly he talks when-"

"Stand down Robin," Batman barked. Robin snorted, glaring back at Batman. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. He frowned at Strange as the man glared back with the same smug grin, pushing his glasses back up his nose before turning his attention back on to Batman. Strange then glanced at the board and moved his rook to capture a pawn. He looked up at Batman again and chuckled darkly.

"You're right as always. There is more," Strange said smoothly. He steepled his fingers again, staring at the board, content to wait for Batman to make his move. He glanced up to see the Dark Knight glaring at him. He remained as smug as ever. Batman glanced down at the board and moved one of his Knights.

"And I suppose you're going to tell me that too, aren't you?" Batman asked. Strange's grin widened as he leaned forward again and moved a Bishop.

"Indeed. What fun is a game if the other party is completely blind?"

"This isn't a game, Strange," Batman growled. "Innocent people are-"

"Innocent people are _always_ in danger. It is the way the world works," Strange said with a mock exasperated sigh. He drummed his fingers on the table as Batman made a move, then he made his own and looked back up at the man. "You'd think after years of fighting crime, you would have figured this out by now," Strange added. Batman rose from his chair and slammed his fist on the table.

"Enough games, Strange! I want answers, now!"

Strange looked up at the man and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Temper, temper. So impatient," he said, glancing over at Robin. "Explains where the son gets it from," he added, grinning at Robin whose eyes narrowed as he glared at the man. Strange looked back to Batman and said "Bombs. The League of Assassins plans to use bombs to spread Delirium in gas form. They've planted various bombs throughout the city. They're also planning to destroy the water treatment plant-"

"-to spread the drug through Gotham's water supply, too," Batman said, eyes widening a bit. Strange chuckled in amusement, leaning back in his chair.

"Precisely. But I would move quickly, if you wish to save the city. You only have-" Strange started, glancing down at his watch "thirty minutes. Have fun." Batman raced out of the Asylum with Robin hot on his heels, leaving Strange to his own amusement.

Batman and Robin both hopped into the Batmobile and peeled away from Arkham, crossing the bridge from the island. He turned on the Batmobile's communicator to warn the others.

"The League of Assassins has planted Delirium bombs all over the city. They're also going to destroy the water treatment center and poison the water supply," Batman said urgently.

"Gods...if those bombs detonate and spread Delirium over the city-" came Barbara's voice over the communicator.

"-Then it'll wreak utter havoc on the city," Tim filled in.

"An entire city of Delirium addled psychopaths tearing through Gotham? Good way to to destroy a city," Jason added darkly.

"Finding those bombs is priority number one. I'm going back to the cave to try and-"

"No need, I've got it. Or rather, Oracle does," Barbara cut in.

"Are you sure? I mean, you love being Batgirl-" Dick began.

"Yeah, but keeping Gotham intact is more important and...Oracle can help more than Batgirl," she replied.

"Alright, Nightwing, Arsenal, listen up. I've found the first of the bomb signatures in Uptown Gotham. There's three of them there. I'm working on narrowing it down, but I've got one in Randall, one in West Village, and the third in North Point," Oracle said to them from her clocktower. She'd already been nearby, thankfully, but made is a point to get there as quickly as possible. She didn't have time to change out of her Batgirl costume; with only twenty-five minutes on the clock, every second counted.

"Alright. Roy-" Dick began, crossing the bridge from Midtown to Uptown. Roy turned to Dick as the man made a sharp turn, racing toward Randall "-you take Randall and I'll focus on North Point and West Village," Dick said. Roy gave a nod.

"Gotcha," He replied, opening the car door even as the car kept on racing through town. He grunted as he pulled himself up onto the hood of the car, taking a few moments to gain some balance.

"Here's your stop! Go!" Dick shouted. Arsenal fired a line to a building and jumped off of the car, flying up to the building. Dick leaned over and closed the door himself before speeding off toward North Point, first.

"You've both got your holocomputers on you?" Oracle asked.

"Yeah," both vigilantes said in unison over the comm link.

"Good, I'm updating them with a tracker to detect bomb frequencies. I've narrows Randall's bomb down to somewhere on Haley Avenue. Working on North Point," Oracle said, fingers gliding frantically over the keyboard. "That's the best I can do, Arsenal. The tracker should help you pinpoint the bomb's exact location. And I've got a read on the bomb in North Point. It's somewhere on Jersey Street."

"Understood," Dick replied, pulling a sharp turn onto Jersey Street.

"Master Bruce, I've patched in via the Batcomputer, sir. Oracle has sent me a copy of the program she created to track the bombs. There's one near you, near the Gotham City Opera House," came Alfred's voice. Bruce's eyes narrows as he turned a corner and raced off toward the Opera House.

"There's a show going on there now. It'll be packed. Perfect place for a bomb," Bruce said darkly.

"There's another at—oh my," Alfred paused.

"Where? Where Alfred?!" Bruce asked.

"The GCPD Headquarters," Alfred replied. Bruce's eye's narrowed again as he stopped at the Gotham City Opera House.

"I can take care of it father," Damian said smoothly, pulling out a grappling gun. Bruce hesitated for a moment, then gave a nod.

"Alright. Be careful," he same before moving toward the Opera House.

"I'm headed toward West Village now," came Tim's voice over the comm link.

"No Tim, head down to The Bowery! There are a couple of bombs there and Dick already has West Village covered!" Oracle replied.

"What about Jason?" Tim asked. There was a pause from Oracle's end that lasted for a good thirty seconds.

"I...haven't been able to reach him," Oracle answered.

The Red Hood growled as he dodged an arrow from a League Assassin. He'd come down to the Bowery to have a chat with some of the local Crime Lords who he knew would be gathering in a warehouse down in the Bowery. Unfortunately, so too did the League of Assassins, because the Crime Lords were dead and roughly a dozen of them were now trying to kill The Red Hood.

"You fuckers really know how to piss a guy off, ya know that?" Jason shouted as he dived behind a pile of crates to avoid a rain of arrows. Jason drew both his guns and stood at the ready; having trained with the League had it's advantages, like knowing their tactics. For instance, he knew that any moment now, two of them would come around each side of the crates for a pincer attack. Sure enough, two assassins rounded the crates and he fired on both of them. The assassins fell over backward, twitching on the ground; electric bullets. He didn't kill them, but he made sure it hurt; 10,000 volts of electricity.

However, Jason narrowly avoided an attack from above. He happened to look up and see an assassin diving down at him. He threw himself out of the way and skidded across the floor, recovering his balance and firing several shots at his would-be assailant before the man could recover. Another one knocked out cold.

"Looks like you guys are loosing your touch! Then again, I kicked your asses when I was sixteen. Maybe you never had it at all," Jason taunted. Three more of them all charged at him with their blades drawn. Jason holstered his guns and cracked his knuckles.

"Oh this is going to be fun," he said to himself, grinning underneath his mask. The first came at him from the side, thrusting his blade forward; Jason deflected the blow, striking at the man's arm, then kicked at his shin, throwing him off balance. He then utilized some of his Krav Maga training and rained a series of quick blows on the man, then grabbed him and spun him around, throwing him into one of his comrades. The third assailant attempted an aerial attack; Jason retaliated by letting himself fall over backwards. The assassin flew over his head but quickly turned to strike. Jason grunted with effort as he threw his weight backwards, going into a backward somersault and kicking the assassin in the face with full force. Blood sprayed from his nose and mouth as he fell over backward, unconscious.

The other two assassins came in at different angles, but Jason as ready for them. He stood there, waiting for their attacks, then as they came in, he ducked back slightly, deflecting both their attacks. He threw a kick at the left one's knee, an an elbow to the face of the right. The Left assassin fell to the ground, having lost of footing and the right assassin stumbled backwards, nose bleeding.

He shouted at Jason, ignoring the pain and came at him, sword swinging. Jason back flipped, intentionally landing on the assassin on the ground and blasting the air out of his lungs before jumping up onto the crates behind him. The assassin dug through his pack and threw several shurikens which Jason dodged by bending over backwards. He fell off the crates and landed on his hands, doing a few backflips to gain more distance as the assassin followed his path. This was number six, and he'd been keeping count; there were six more and they were all headed his way. But for now, he took out the sixth.

The other six were on him, but he let himself be distracted by his communicator; someone was hacking into it.

"Red Hood!" came Tim's voice, shouting at him over the communicator.

"Shit!" Jason cursed as an assassin landed a blow on his arm. "Fuck off replacement! I'm busy! League Assassins! Talk later!" Jason hissed, punching the assailant square in the face.

"It's important! There are Delirium bombs all over Gotham City! Bruce, Damian, Dick and Roy are already taking care of theirs. I'm headed to the Water Treatment Plant to stop the League from shutting it down," Tim began. Jason grunted as he blocked a few blows from another few assassins. He took down two more, leaving four, but those four seemed to fight even harder.

"Well isn't that just fucking grand! How many in the Bowery?!" Jason asked, throwing one assassin into the other. The both of them crashed into a pile of crates which toppled and fell on top of them. Two to go.

"Two. And we've only got fifteen minutes left on the clock!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jason shouted angrily, taking down the last two with electric bullets. He turned to look at the unconscious assassins scattered around the room before leaving the warehouse; he didn't have time to round them up and tie them all up. The clock was ticking and he needed to take care of those bombs. "Where are they?!" Jason growled.

"Patching Oracle in," Tim replied. Jason growled again and hopped on his bike. Oracle came over his comm link minutes later.

"One is in Jezebel Center! Go!" Oracle called. Jason revved the bike and raced off to Jezebel Center at top speed. "The other is in Crime Alley! Hurry!" Oracle called. With twelve minutes to spare, Jason arrived at the bustling Jezebel Center, jumping off his bike and racing inside.

"Do you have any kind of...computer, or something on you?!' Oracle asked. Jason growled and shook his head.

"No. I'm more of a hands on kind of guy," Jason replied, ignoring the startled looks he got as he dashed through the shopping center.

"Dammit Jason!" Oracle cursed. Jason snorted to himself and decided then that some upgrades were in order. But for now, he needed to find that bomb, which meant some good old fashion detective work. Namely, _where would I plant a bomb for maximum effect?_

"The ventilation system! The fans will push the gas through the vents, throughout the shopping center!" Came Oracle's voice again.

"Yeah, just figured that," Jason replied.

"I've uploaded a program to your communicator. It'll beep faster the closer you are to the bomb!"

"What about the others?" Jason asked, climbing into an air duct. It was a tight squeeze, but he could manage.

"Dick and Roy have diffused the first couple of bombs. Dick is on his way to West Village."

"What about Batman and Robin?" Jason asked as he crawled through the ducts. He made a sound of success when he finally found the bomb and began to process of disarming it.

"Batman has disabled the bomb in the Opera House. Damian is working on one in the GCPD. And before you ask, Tim seems to have the situation at the Water Treatment Plant handled.

"Great, I got this bomb handled. Crime Alley next, right?" Jason asked, making his way out of the air ducts.

Strange chuckled to himself as he sat in his cell. He glanced down at his watch then got to his feet, ducking down into the floor and reaching underneath his mattress and pulled a switch out from underneath it. He sat on the bed and eyed the switch, grinning devilishly.

"It's time to up the ante a little bit. I do so hope all the players enjoy the game," he said to himself with a laugh, pressing the switch.

Jason was nearing Crime Alley with only a minute to spare, racing at top speed. He stopped the motorcycle and jumped off, running into the alleway.

"Okay, this is the last one! Jason, it's all up to you!" Oracle called, even as the rest of the family raced down to his location.

"No pressure!" Jason called, finding the bomb hidden in the dumpster. He began to process of trying to diffuse it, but this one was more intricate than the rest. "Fuck, this one is trickier than the others!" Jason shouted angrily, shaking his head as the clock ticked down the last thirty seconds.

"Jason, get out of there!" Oracle shouted.

"No, I still have twenty seconds!" Jason hissed.

"Alright, well listen! You—oh no," Oracle whispered.

"Oracle?" came Dick's voice.

"Whaty's going on?" Roy asked.

"That uh oh doesn't sound good," sounded Tim.

"Oracle, what's going on?" Bruce asked.

"I...I can't believe it! Another bomb just activated!"

"What?! Where?!" Bruce growled.

"Blackgate! You won't make it! Only fifteen seconds! Jason!" Oracle shouted.

"Shut up!" Jason shouted back, fumbling with the wires. As the clock counted down the last ten seconds, Jason began to panic; he flashed back to his death and froze; the last thing he saw was the bomb ticking down the last five seconds...and he made an instinctual move; he ran.

 _5_  
 _4_  
 _3_  
 _2_  
 _1..._

Jason managed to scramble out of the alleyway as the bomb exploded. The force of the blast sent Jason flying forward and he slammed into a nearby wall, hard. The Last thing he heard before he lost consciousness, was Dick's voice...

 _"Jason! Jason please be okay! Jason?! Jason!"_


End file.
